crafty sick day

From the look of all this, you'd never know the artist herself is feeling the discomforts of the stomach flu today. Miss Hailey has been fighting off the tender tummy for a few days now, and this morning before school, it finally told her it was NOT going to allow her to ignore it any longer. Poor thing! Hailey that is. Not her stomach.
So that meant a day at home, with only the company of the TV (no little sister to play with). And Hailey soon discovered that daytime kid TV is rerun every few hours, so when that got old .. she was begging me to craft with her. See, she's feeling great in spirit, but the bathroom runs are far to frequent and the readiness of the bucket much to mandatory for her to be sent to school. Tomorrow she'll go. But today, we played between runs. (literally) I must insert here, that while Hailey did the majority of her projects, I was working away at a freshly started toque.

PHOTO 1 .. I free hand drew the elf stocking, cut it out and helped with some of the tricky curved areas for stitching, but Hailey did the rest. It's about a foot long, and will be perfect just as a decoration .. nothing more.

PHOTO 2 .. The little round mini album was started weeks ago, but was awaiting two more photos from a printing order. It's a little album containing photos from each Christmas Hailey has been around for. They're photos of her, and the album is made so more pages can be added for as long as she likes. The album will hang from the tree as decoration (it's the size of a disc).

PHOTO 3 .. This craft idea, gleaned from the All Things Christmas site, and of course personalized by the 8 yr old artist herself. This was started a couple days ago, and left to let the glue dry. Today the finishing touches were added, like the bow and hanging from our little bulletin board in the kitchen.

And we have 26 days yet to go before Christmas is really here?? I can't imagine how many more crafty predicaments we shall find ourselves in.

book review

Alissa brought this book home from the school library, yesterday .. and although I've discovered I'm not much of a Robert Munsch fan, I figured I'd be the good Mommy that I proclaim and strive to be, and read it at bedtime.

I apologize to all Robert Munsch fans out there, but if you've never read this book, you may not fully understand what my next statement means, but it's just not right.

What kind of child's book has the teacher and student standing in their undergarments as the end result to the teacher trying desperately to get the little guy into his snowsuit and they get into a rumble and discover their clothes and the dreaded snowsuit laying in a pile on the floor. And while standing in their undergarments, in walks the principal .. and he tries to help get Thomas into his snowsuit and ends up in the teacher's dress and she in his suit. It's messed up, I tell you!

A couple years ago, Hailey brought home another R. Munsch book (can't remember the title, might be A Promise is a Promise) about a little boy living in the Yukon I believe. I had to stop reading the story outloud (to a 4 and 6yr old) because of some horrible picture and questionable story. Hailey had dreams that woke her all frightened, for a few nights .. and that's when I approached her teacher. She agreed she'd flip through the books before letting the children check them out.

For a children's author, I think Robert Munsch tends to take things just a little to far for young, impressionable minds.

And that, my friends, is my personal point of view on this Thursday morning.

explorer

With a stick in one hand, and the use of her fingers on the other .. Alissa gets busy digging in the moss, not looking for anything imparticular .. just exploring.

My most favourite photos are ones taken without the subject aware of the camera and that it's pointed at them. The moment my girls see my camera's eye focused on them, they pull a face, turn their head, hide or the like. When I capture them in their element, enjoying life .. THAT is when I can later look at the photo and FEEL the moment.

advent garland? .. check!

Yay, it's done! Complete! Finished! These tiny little pockets line the fireplace hearth and are literally overflowing with the contents of just two little huggable kisses. I NOW think they are adorable, once again .. but in the middle of making them, I seriously was cursing myself for taking on the project. I was delusional in thinking it would make a perfect weekend afternoon craft. See all those numbers stitched on? And the string and buttons?, they all took time. I topped it off with making three little stars (like the artists one star), one for the middle of the garland and one for each end, just to tidy off the pushpins I had to use.

Anyway, I think they're adorable and will serve their purpose for a few years to come. And the girls and I got our fill of hand stitching for awhile. Mission accomplished!

ice ice baby

We fell asleep to a very wet dump of falling snow, and awoke to a crunchy frozen layer of white. I'm not terribly pleased with Mother Nature but I suppose will take it with a grain of salt, or make that a shovel full .. so at least it'll melt the white stuff! The snow I like, comes in one very large batch, enough to cancel school so we can indulge in a jammie day, sipping hot chocolate and playing board games after of course building a sky scraper high snow man. :)

one of my favourite days

I have two favourite ways of spending a day. One, being penned up inside my warm and cozy home, wearing pajamas and watching a movie or two, scrapbooking or crafting of any sort, eating easily prepared meals and sipping on any sort of warm beverage (or cold beverage if the weather's warm). The other way I love spending a day, is out enjoying the countryside with my little family. It has to be a dry day, at least .. and any scenic view is also a bonus, and if we're geocaching .. well then that's the icing on the cake.
We had the second kind of day, yesterday, and saw a part of our river that I've never seen before. The drop off was rather frightening and a little intimidating .. so I was the only one aloud near it, for photos. The steep incline up was a playground of all sorts of interesting things for my little explorers. There was rocks and mushrooms, bark and prickly bushes to investigate, and to top it all off .. Dave came across petrified wood, that Hailey took for 'show and tell' today.
We also visited a special heritage site that I've been longing to see with my own eyes for awhile now. Morden Mines. It's awesome and breathtaking and begs for the story to be told. Perhaps I'll do my research on it, soon.

a work in progress

It seems this little advent garland we're attempting to make, is going to take longer then I first expected. After several long stints of working on them, we're finished all the stitching around the edges, and I worked at numbering them but have packed up for the day and we'll continue tomorrow or next weekend.
I did manage to buy kisses for the contents. That's 24 x 2 kids = 48 kisses!!!!!! Yeeks!

artsy fartsy

As I've already mentioned (and shown), I'm into a swoop of early crafting as of late. I'm not sure if it's the colder weather that's spurred it on, or the fact that we're looking for a simpler, more inexpensive and creative Christmas in lue of our recent BIG project. Along with all the fun gift crafting also comes the passion for paper crafting and decoration making and I've been motivated to do some new things, thanks to my friend Krista. She linked to these darling things in a recent post, and I fell in love. It would be a nice change to the store bought chocolate kind we buy every year, and so I went on a hunt to find white or red (or both) felt. I actually found some tucked in the overflowing craft box we won from the school and have since cut out all the pieces. Sewing them all together will be our weekend adventure, and I'll share the end result in the form of a picture.

Putting the sewing part on hold didn't stop us from directing ourselves towards another craft to tide us over. I say 'us', but really it was Hailey itching to craft today. With my help (the cutting, because it was rather overwhelming for her to cut 6 bells AND 6 stars), Hailey went wild with the glue stick and glitters. Digging into my scrapping stash, revealed THE perfect ribbons for the finishing touch, and I promise I'll take a photo during daylight hours so you can see our first Christmas of 2007 decoration!

I seriously LOVE that my girls (well the older one more so then the youngin') adore crafting as much as me. I wouldn't want to beg, entice or bribe them to craft with me if it didn't come so naturally. And believe me, begging does NOT look good on me. My face turns into a horrendous mess of wrinkles, and holes appear bigger then they are.

ETA picture, tho rather nasty in quality.

This morning's frost is not the first one of the year, but it's the first one I was able to capture on camera. I always love how the sky is so clear and the sun so warm and bright on these kinds of mornings. It was a perfect moment to get out and take pictures! The crisp air felt so good in my lungs!

a sight to see

I decided last evening, to bring my latest crocheting project along to Karate. Alissa always brings books, colouring things, or card games to pass the hour while Hailey trains .. and I bring along a book, but usually land up colouring or playing a game with Alissa.
But with Christmas fast approaching, and the handmade gifties I'm anticipating to complete, I thought I best spend that hour doing something more productive then reading a novel.

And it seems two other Moms had the same idea! I landed up sitting beside them .. they knitting, and I crocheting. One was knitting an afghan, the other a very funky coloured scarf made from really neat wool .. and I was working on an uber cute purse made from very funky yarn. As we were leaving the building, a Dad commented on our 'yarn club'. It must have been a sight to see. lol

I can't share any pictures of the finished product (I DID finish it last night, minus finishing off the loose ends), because I'm hoping to make a few of these for certain girls on my C-Mas list, and I know of at least one that reads my blog on occasion .. and sharing it would spoil the surprise.

another year of love

It's my parent's 53rd wedding anniversary, today. I wish we could have been there to help celebrate their love for eachother .. but alas .. we live to far away.
Thank goodness for phones, because I caught up on all the news AND got to tell my Mom how much her and Dad mean to me. How thankful we are for such great examples, who have shown us over the many years that a marriage is a work in progress and with love and communication as a foundation .. that marriage can last a lifetime.

'tagged'

My dear sister, Faye, tagged me and although I think I've done this one before .. I'll go ahead and see how many more things I can come up with again.

There are a few rules one must follow to play the game. When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list eight random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to eight other people.

1. We are in the process of buying our first home!
2. I love to be barefoot (not barefoot and pregnant, JUST barefoot), and tend to slip my socks off every chance I get. I start wearing flipflops much earlier in the spring then most folks around here, and wear them far into the fall. My children have inherited this passion for barefeet, as well.
3. I'd like to learn a second language. My heart longs for it to be Fries because of my heritage, tho practicality tells me it should be French (Canada's second language). I have something against french tho. *slinks under a rock*
4. I like to spend money frivisouly when I'm stressing.
5. On my Christmas wish list is a cordless keyboard, tho I probably won't get it. (refer to previous post about our BIG project)
6. When I'm nervous, I rock my jaw which in turns lightly clenches each side of teeth .. back and forth, back and forth.
7. I want to renew my marriage vows on our 15th anniversary (2010) in a cheap Love Chapel in Vegas. Sappy hey?
8. Dave and I would have liked to have a son, but neither of us wanted to continue on having more then the two children we have already. The older our girls get, the more thankful I am that we have two beautiful, intelligent, creative, and loving daughters I can be girly and crazy with. And Dave's learning that he doesn't need a son to enjoy all those 'boy' times with. Girls love to fish, be active and get dirty too, much to my dismay. :P

Tagging seems to be a fun way to establish & nurture relationships. I'm interested in knowing 8 random facts about these people:
I don't play by the rules at the best of times .. so I won't single out anyone particular, tho if you DO happen to play along, PLEASE let me know in the comments, so I can come take a boo and get to know you better. :)

have you wondered?

I've made mention of our BIG project we have muddled in with all our other regular activities and projects. I thought I may as well go ahead and do some explaining.

Let me take you way back to mid October. Our landlord sent in an Appraiser, which in our many years of renting, has only meant one thing .. he's listing the place. After five and a half years of staying firmly planted in one home, despite all the problems that have arisen, then later rectified themselves .. we've loved our neighbourhood and were looking against the upcoming news we were about to hear from our landlord. We went the next couple weeks, on pins and needles, discussing here and there where we'd go should he indeed list the place.

Our waiting ended when a large manila envelope arrived in the mail. It was from our landlord, enclosed were the appraisal and a letter from him, offering us first dibs on purchasing for the appraised $ amount. Not only were we NOT prepared to buy at this time, but we had come to the very content conclusion that we'd rather not enter the real estate rat race for a great many years. The prices have soared in the past ten + years we've lived on the Island, more so in the past five years and for us, it didn't seem worth the hassles, to own.

So with the decision of buying this place, or being forced to go out and scour the city for a reasonable place to rent (rentals have increases significantly too) that would be comparable to this place, size wise .. we soon discovered that paying a mortgage would be pretty equal in dollar amount to renting. So why wash our money down the rental drain, if it evens out in the end?

After meeting with a mortgage broker and having a few back and forth information sessions .. things looked good for us. Since we now had that power of knowledge, we decided to look around in the price range our landlord (also a realtor, I should add) offered us this place for. I can confidently say that there is pretty much ZERO out there that is comparable in square footage, unless of course we'd like to move ourselves onto a very run down area of town.
We concluded that there were many positives to staying here .. like our children remaining in the same school, no moving costs or change of addresses and utility changes, there's a strata in place that really has more positives for the $ amount then I first realized, and so much more.

We of course are insistent of a few very imperative renovations that we never could talk our landlord into doing for us .. like double pane windows (so I won't have to put up plastic each and every winter) and flooring (so I don't have to try and make a stripped lino look half decent, or a nasty carpet look lustrous for bare feet).

We ordered up a building inspection (tho we do know this place pretty well), and meet with the other important people in the next week or two, and if all goes well .. by January 28th (our landlords in no hurry to close since we're already in here, tho paperwork needs to be done by the end of November), we will be proud owners of our duplex.

Had this offer not been presented to us on a plate, with fork and knife available for instant consumption, we would not be ready for the buying game. I haven't felt so many emotions all at once, in so long .. and it's such a scary process, but now that we've decided on a few of the smaller things .. I'm so excited to be making this place more livable and to rearrange and redecorate and that little bit of change will do us good!

complete

I'm finished! Yay! And it turned out so darn cute, and I know my girlie is going to SO love it! She's been eyeing up ones in different stores, on occasion .. and that's how I know she wants this particular style.
I must say one more thing .. to brag a little. I did start out with using a pattern, but it soon became more of a doll sized hat then one that would fit a small headed 8 yr old. So I made up my own pattern as I went along. One that shaped okay, that would stretch, one that worked with this particular chunky yarn, and I'm extremely pleased with the outcome. (/horn tooting)

I must thank Miss Bratz for her generous offer of being my personal model for the camera. She's not nearly as shy as Dave (tho he humoured me when I needed his head for size). (I did get me a blackmail photo, Faye .. after much pleading and begging and promising NOT to post it here or on facebook, but he didn't say I couldn't email it *evil cackle*)

occupied!

Sometimes, when my hands and brain are not occupied with something, they tend to roam. Okay, well my brain does anyway. My hands? They tend to roam around the cupboards .. evenings are THE worst. So, to keep everything occupied, happy, and most importantly .. DEstressed, I've gone back to another little hobby of mine. Crocheting. I used to crochet quite abit, before I discovered scrapbooking .. and then it conveniently fell by the wayside as my up and growing hobby took it's place.

This project is a hat for Hailey. It's not complete yet. It needs little ear flaps and braids, and maybe even a little wee pom-pom at the top. I think I'll make one for Alissa in a colour she likes, and after Dave modeled it for me last night (needed an idea of size because the hat's a C-Mas gift), he too wants one, in green or anything camo like, minus the ear flaps and braids of course .. more like a beenie.

I think I may even go so far as to make matching scarves, tho we have a closet shelf full of hats/scarves/mitts that only are used during a very small portion of our Island winter.

You know what I'd like to do this year? Have a 'handmade' Christmas. We're keeping it lowkey this year anyway .. because we have a BIG project simmering on the back burner, that will all but consume every last red cent we have, so handmaking small items would be perfectly fitting, and give us a chance to focus more on our traditions and enjoying each and every moment we have as a family. I do believe I like that idea!

all things christmas

After talking to my little sister this morning, and discussing some of the more memorable traditions we each have created with our own little families .. got me one step closer to looking forward to Christmas then I had been. I know .. bahumbug Rachel .. but that's why I'm hoping to redeem myself with this link I came across in my blog hopping journeys.
http://www.allthingschristmas.com/

Go there! Be inspired!

blah

I don't want to grow up.
I don't want to wear big girl panties.
I don't want to make decisions, that determine the future of me and three other souls.

I want to put my head in the sand.
I want to sing "lalalala" all day long.
I want to have no worries.

just sights

I thought I'd share a few more pictures from our very wet, cold and blusterous Sunday.
1. old, windblown tree, with a view of the water beaten beach and strangely calm looking ocean
2. brave seagull bearing the brunt of the heavy winds and wave's offspray
3. water soaked berries
4. some of the MANY poisonous mushrooms we encountered

On Monday, we decided to take this back way up to a nearby little town where Dave is storing his motorbike for the winter, at a friends (who happens to have a big shed and more room then we do), and wouldn't you know it .. the day was gloriously sunny and warm .. tho still blustery .. AND, I forgot my camera so I couldn't even capture everything from the day before, but in opposite weather.

quack

We're feeling much like ducks for the past couple days. Yesterday we braved the rain and drove about, geocaching. Out of the six we did, *I* actually only got out of the car for the first four. After that, it was for those that didn't wear glasses, AND had headgear to keep them a tad dryer. But we saw some amazing scenery, different then what it would ever be like on a hot, scorcheress day. Like this train track. I've ALWAYS wanted to photograph one, but the fear of being hit in the backend while all consumed with angles, had deterred me until now. We had to cross this to get to one of the caches, so I lingered JUST a few extra minutes and snapped off a couple frames. I was quick, I heard no blaring of train horns, I took what I wanted and then was on my way. :)

There were mushrooms and salamanders and seagulls and old decrepid trees all begging to be photographed. And I did. But I've realized that living here in what's known as Canada's rain forest .. I must find me some kind of water resistant bag for my 'baby'. Poor thing saw some rain, but cleaned up well afterwards, thank goodness!

A Pittance of Time

My girls elementary school plays this every year at their Remembrance Day Ceremony assembly. It's so touching, and I wanted to share it, so that we too can remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8poZshcDj8g
(I can't seem to get the actual video to post here, so here's the link)

a little TGIF share

I have only this layout to share, today. Remember these photos? HAD to scrap this wonderful moment/gift/birthday I shared with my oh so wonderful sis-in-law. :D We had such a great time, that we've decided pedicures need to come more often then on birthdays or other special occasions. Hee!

thankful thursday

Remember Thankful Thursdays? I've slacked off, so back in the saddle again for me.

today I'm thankful for ...
1. good mindless TV
2. a very supportive and grounding husband
3. electricity, and what it does for my family
4. good friends I can commiserate with
5. coffee

And on another note, and one I must mention somewhere because I thought it was to cute. And I'm one of those Moms that like to keep some of what her children say documented so that I can remember it later when the grey hair has finally zapped the last of my brain cells, and I've lost my memory.

This morning it was mentioned by a certain 6 yr old (coughalissacough) during the morning bathroom routine, that you know you're poo'ing when your face turns red. Hey, who am I to correct such innocence. I just giggled.

House Meme

I pick and choose which memes I like to participate in, and this one looked interesting enough for me.

House meme:
1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Dove for me, Irish Spring for Dave, and whatever mini bars we can find, for the girls
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No
3. What would you change about your living room? it's size and shape, and the carpets
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? I wish I had a dishwasher, but there's only breakfast dishes on the sink at the moment.
5. What is in your fridge? Besides food? A paintbrush in need of rinsing.
6. White or wheat bread? Wheat or multigrain.
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? A few recipes that haven't made it back into the cupboard above the fridge, sunglasses to keep out of reach of sticky fingers, and hockey tape (not sure why that's up there)
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? A soft green with white swirly viny pattern.
9. How many plants are in your home? 2 African Violets Dave gave the girls a couple years ago for V-Day .. and they're still alive and blooming every once in awhile! Shockers!
10. Is your bed made right now? No, I'm washing the bedding.
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet
12. Is your closet organized? Which one? My clothes closet, yes .. the coat closet, no!
13. Can you describe your flashlight? We have several. The yellow highbeam one that shines for miles (or so it seems), and a shaker one that re-energizes when you shake the magnet back and forth. There's more around here, but those are the two we use the most.
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? a glass
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Nope, but used to drink the stuff ALL the time.
16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Don't have one, but don't ask about the shed. :/
17. Curtains or blinds? blinds, but I'd like curtains one day .. but ones I've made.
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? just one
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? the bathroom light, and a nightlight in the upstairs hallway as well as one in Alissa's room.
20. How often do you vacuum? depends, but usually a couple times a week.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard
22. What color is your toothbrush? light blue
23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? no, but have one inside the door
24. What is in your oven right now? just tinfoil lining the bottom.
25. Is there anything under your bed? empty gun cases (soft and hard), a box of the girls artwork, and maybe a water bottle or two.
26. Chore you hate doing the most? Dusting and cleaning the bathroom. Strangely, I clean the bathroom an awful lot considering it's one I hate. I'm pretty anal about toothpasted sinks and hairy toilets. :P
27. What retro items are in your home? None
28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? no.
29. How many mirrors are in your home? 5.
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? umm, if under the couch cushions counts, then yes.
31. What color are your walls?Mexican sand throughout the entire house, except for A's room being a soft shade of pink and the bathroom is a rather harsh blue.
32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Remember, Dave? He hunts. So, we have a few rifles, a paint gun, a couple airsoft guns and a bow or two.
33. What does your home smell like right now? Vanilla Glade plugins. Yum!
34. Favorite candle scent? vanilla or cinnamon during the C-Mas season
35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? pickled mushrooms
36. What color is your favorite Bible? since I only have one, black .. but it's collecting dust so it may be rather greyish now.
37. Ever been on your roof? Hell no! Heights and me do NOT get along! But we just had our roof redone last month, so it's all good up there.
38. Do you own a stereo? yeah, a nice loud, rockin' one!
39. How many TVs do you have? 2
40. How many house phones? 2 .. one cordless, and one corded (just in case)
41. Do you have a housekeeper? Oh how I wish!
42. What style do you decorate in? I seriously want a whole new style, but in the meantime it's liveable.
43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Solid, tho we currently have an embossed print.
44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? yes, two
45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? After us, all the scrapbook albums and the case of picture discs, and Dave's rifles.

If you choose to do this Meme as well, let me know in the comments, so I can come read your answers. :)

it's the little things ...

... that make me happy. Seriously .. you'd have thought I won the lottery or something, when I picked this cutie out. You see, I used to have one of those paper towel holders that hang from underneath the cupboard (it came with the place when we moved in), but for some reason, it broke (plastic does that), and since then I've just had my paper towel sitting on the counter. There's just so many more important things to spend our pinched pennies on, that this was classified as a luxury, until one day I couldn't stand it any longer.

I'm happy now!






disclaimer .. please ignore the backsplash'less wall in the background. We're procrastinators and still have yet to sand off the glue that remains from taking down a very tacky and tasteless wall paper border that once passed as the backsplash. Eek!

goodbye, for another year

There's this place, where nearly everyone in our town, bring their most loved jack-o-lanterns when the Halloween season has passed. The pumpkins rest on any rock, gate, or fencepost that's in the vicinity. They line the road for a long stretch, and their faces stare back at us as we pass. This is the place we put our own pumpkins to rest, every year. We so enjoy going to pick out the perfect spot ours will sit, and looking at each and every one of the others that have been brought here. This is what our family has come to call 'The Pumpkin Graveyard' (keeping with the halloween spirit and all ;))

One year, it was raining so hard, that Dave dashed the pumpkins out and we only observed from the inside of our warm and cozy and DRY vehicle. Last year the girls and I went, and only had a few moments before the rain started. This year, the day had been brisk but sunny, and although with the time change .. it seems like it's getting late because the sun has set already .. it was about 4pm'ish.

Bubye pumpkins! I hope you rot in peace, and bring others some joy until then. :)

my personal therapy

its not swell

Yesterday was one of the worst days I've had in quite awhile. It just seemed like the whole universe was working against me, and it all started by forgetting to set the alarm clock (as backup to my internal clock) and somehow I slept in an hour. That set the mood for the entire day, and I couldn't stop the trains from crashing into the mountain at each turn I took.

This morning I awoke, feeling okay and optimistic about the day. My coffee didn't taste quite right, but that was just minor. Now as I've vegged most of the morning away, having just now showered and gotten dressed, I realized that the freshness one feels after having the hot water pound down on them, isn't there. My head feels still so clogged .. kinda like I'm in a fog. My body's starting to slowly ache more and more over the last few hours, and now perhaps yesterdays upsets actually has more depth to it. Perhaps I'm actually starting to come down with something. Time will tell, I suppose.

So to spare you my woes, I shall leave it at that.