You too can be smart :)

Learn something new every day :)  

Visit THIS  fabby website!!

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Friday Fill-ins!!

1. A cup of tea is something Lloyd looks forward to in the evenings.
2. books, cats and family makes a place feel like home.
3. Everything has its beauty appreciated by somebody.
4. scones and cream need the taste of strawberries?
5. Art makes me feel calm, peaceful and relaxed.
6. LOL I just noticed I forgot to write my dream down this morning before I forgot it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with some crafts, tomorrow my plans include taking the younger two to spend their birthday money and Sunday, I want to spend time outdoors enjoying the good weather - maybe enjoy the fire pit!


Find your friday fill-ins HERE

date night...

Last night Lloyd and I went to New Asian Village for dinner.  We had a lovely supper together and were laughing because he was telling me how our server looked like Monkey - and I thought he was saying he looked like a monkey and I was thinking he was being rude and he was laughing because I thought he was being rude when he was talking about Monkey from a tv show.....an OLD tv show....

THIS  tv show.  I don't think I EVER watched this show lol but I guess Lloyd did!!!

I love the atmosphere in the new restaurant BUT I much prefer the food at our usual Indian restaurant.   It wasn't the first time we'd been there and I still think the other place is better.  The food was ok - just not as good - I didn't bother with dessert, so we went to Starbucks afterwards for coffee and I had a hot chocolate for my dessert instead :)  We sat by the fire and chatted for a while.

I bought a book I needed for a project we're working on next week, and we picked up a birthday gift Susannah needs for a birthday party.  Then home...

It was a nice evening.  I'm looking forward to next weeks night out when we're meeting Val and James again :)

French knitting

Yesterday we bought two French Knitting sets and this morning we set to work with them!  We have been curled up in bed watching the breakfast news and the children have been knitting.  Abby got straight to it and had a long snake coming out fairly fast.  Sam needed a little help.  He is left handed and found it a little fiddly - maybe I should have set it up in a different direction for him (???) but he soon got the hang of it and now he can do it all by himself and says he wants to keep doing it all day (although right now he is in the shower singing lol)  

Last night I started two granny squares using a crochet app I added to my iphone.  I've made some progress and I'm a little bit happier.  I bought a cart load of yarn yesterday (Lloyd is a little freaked I think hahahaha) and am excited about making a blanket.  Watch this space!!

Knitting for chickens!! :)

How bizarrely cute is THIS???  They're a REALLY odd bunch in Somerset, England!!
(my old home town)
 ;)  

Thursday Thirteen....

(Inspired by another blog this week) 

Thirteen things I love about Winter:

1. How beautiful the hoar frost looks after the fog clears.

2. Time for crafts and reading

3. hearty comfort foods

4. Having an excuse to be a homebody!!

5.  Curling up and watching lots of movies - we don't really watch any tv during the warmer months.

6.  happy faces on snowmen

7.  rosy cheeks on the children when they've been outside playing

8.  fresh fallen snow - glistening in the sunshine

9.  hot chocolate by the fire in Starbucks!

10.  The ice festival

11.  all the lovely coats and scarves you get to wear.  And kick-ass boots!

12.  Watching the snow fall once everyone is at home all safe.

13.  walking through the woods and over the back fields, seeing animal tracks in the snow, enjoying the peaceful stillness one a cold sunny day.

You can find the Thursday Thirteen HERE

Great post on Ragged Roses today....

A fab post all about Landgirls, rationing, and how the war effected diet and health in the UK:

Ragged Roses

It's not a heavy fact based post - just pictures form a museum trip - but I found it very interesting :)

Enjoy!!

A blog to check out!!!!

A fabulous BLOG from Whistler - in the heart of the Olympics.....also creative crafty knitting.....but it is wonderful to see the pictures form Whistler :)

Head over and take a look!!

Making supper..

Susannah made supper last night - our version of Joannes hashbrown casserole.  It was yummy as always - this is a family favourite now :)

Go for Plan A!!

THIS is a GREAT article on encouraging passion in your children :)

Random Dozen

1. Have you ever fired a gun or shot a bow and arrow?  Bow and arrow yes.  real gun - no!  Paintball gun - yes!  I would like to make it to the gun range this year at some point though!!!

2. Do you know where your childhood best friends are?  Yes - almost all of them.  I married one of them :)  I'm in touch with many of them still.

3. Do you usually arrive early, late, or on time?  I'm almost ALWAYS on time....except for Val.....and for some reason with Val I'm always just a few minutes late (sorry Val).

4. Are you more of a New York or California type?   I LOVE New York, but these days I crave hot weather and sunshine year round and so I would probably head to California...but more to the wine growing areas than anywhere else.

5. Do you have a special ring tone?  Nope.  

6. What is your favorite type of chip?   I'm not keen on chips.  I like Frazzles from back home but get those about once every five years so I guess I'm not a big chip eater ;)  

7. Best comedy you've ever seen is .... Graham Norton always makes me laugh - and The Vicar of Dibley is FAB!!!  

8. Have you ever cut your own hair? To quote Dr. Phil, "How'd that work for ya?"   Yep - plenty of times.  And it worked for me fine :)

9. If you were going to have an extreme makeover, would you rather it be about your house or your personal self?  Neither really - I would HATE for anyone to touch my home or to come in and remodel my home without my input.  I think the idea of someone decorating for me is just awful and impersonal.  I can't stand the idea of getting an interior designer in or a decorator to come in and decorate the place and buying everything for me.  To me thats not a real home - it's a showhome.  To me what makes my home special are the items that WE choose over the years...that eclectic feel from trips, from holidays, from crafts, from years together.....putting it all together.....going round thrift stores and other stores...buying a few things here and there - the odd thing when we see it and love it.  Objects that have been in our families for generations.  HISTORY....whether a really OLD history or just the history we make together.  That show is great for those families involved but please don't touch MY home.  As for myself - I wouldn't want anything too radical done - I'd like my boobs lifted but   apart from that I'm really not bothered about anything else.  I think the people who want extreme things done need to work on themselves from the inside out.

10. Are you allergic to anything?  Morphine.  I had a bad reaction to this when I was in hospital with pre-eclampsia before I had Sam.  Hallucinating, vomiting, I even smacked a nurse during the hallucination as she tried to take my blood pressure.  It was bizarre!!  I also had a reaction to something the day after Sam was born - and my whole face and inside my mouth swelled up - but they don't know what it was - I went for allergy testing but nothing showed up.  They said that sometimes stress and shocks to the system  can cause allergic reactions so maybe it was that....although I didn't feel stressed after the birth - just annoyed about them constantly asking how long Sam had fed for and what time and I annoyed them by telling them I wasn't timing him or clock watching ;)  

11. Why is it so hard to change?  I think you really need to be ready and you have to WANT the change - and you MUST have the support around you -  and then it's easy.

12. One last question dedicated to February love: CS Lewis said, "To love is to be vulnerable." Please share one example of that assertion or share any thought you'd like to about this topic.   I think this is very true.  I don't think you can truly be open in a relationship - and truly love without becoming vulnerable to another.....I don't think it's possible.  And why would you want to?  When you are loved and in a secure and loving relationship you feel safe opening up about your thoughts and feelings - making yourself vulnerable is utterly worth it.  I think that is the same with your children and friends too.  When you are at a point where you can be open with a friend about the bad and the good, then you know it's a GREAT friendship :)


You can get your Random Dozen HERE

The lengths we go to......

In my craft room I have a little display of all things 'Hawaiian' that Val brought back for me from her trip there last year (well the sarong doesn't fit but...) and it includes the rather 'interesting' key ring that she gave my FIVE YEAR OLD!!  Yes, it reads 'I got leid in Hawaii'  hahahahaha  poor Val - she didn't notice what it said - just saw the turtle shape and as they ahd seen plenty of turtles on holiday they grabbed several key rings as gifts!!

Anyway, I also have a glas filled with really pretty pineapple candies from a plantation they visited.  I was find it hard to eat gifts like this - and these were soooo pretty - I put them in the glass on display and they literally SPARKLE!!!

(omg I can hear people muttering 'hoarder' under their breath hahahahaha)

Anyway, the glass WAS full...but people have been taking my pretty candies and they are disappearing. I seriously don't think they are evaporating - do YOU?????

I may be old, children but I'm not as stupid as I look!!!

Sigh....

I mentioned this to Val and she surprised me on Monday with this weird air proof bag of candies to refill my pot!!  And she mentioned that this foodsaver bag stff is not only good for keeping food fresh - but for keeping kids OUT!!!!  See - the lengths us parents have to go to, to stop our kids eating our food!!!

Art in progress...

Abigail is busy painting with acrylics this afternoon...Sam took the opportunity to draw with the whiteboard markers.  He drew me a heart :)  

Sometimes when he isn't looking for things to attack with guns and swords, he's incredibly cute :)

Fireplace..

I haven't charged my camera since Lloyd took it to Vancouver, so these were taken with my iphone.  No flash so it's difficult to see.  The fire isn't on either.  This is the new fire that we had put in on Monday.  The little cobweb shaped bits at the side are mitten warmers - they have stick things that stick out the back so you can pop mittens on them.  You can also place things on the shelves.  The doors close too.

We plan to get a round coffee table and two Starbucks style armchairs to go by the fire so we can sit and read or play chess/ scrabble etc by the fire.

I'll take better piccies later and put them on the home reno blog.

Meet Atticus!!

Lloyd brought me home this cute little guy on Monday....he's a charity bear sold in aid of our local children's hospital.  Isn't he cute?  I DID buy myself a white miniature rocking chair and the point of it was to keep my teddy bears in it - the ones Lloyd had bought me - but Sam took possession of the rocking chair and so my bears have homes here and there instead.....this little guy is small enough to stay in my craft room.

Other finds....

I picked up these two wall plaques above - not sure where they will go or what I will do with them - we think we are going to paint them.  Maybe do something to the raised edges....I'll check out that thrifting blog in my blog roll for ideas.....but they were too good to pass up.

I loved the quilted look of this little pot.  I just thought it was really pretty.  

The birdhouse...

As requested, here is the little birdhouse I picked up at the thrift store yesterday!

I was planning to repaint it, but for now I'm actually liking how it looks sat on the window sill.  

Shimelle's new class!!!! Yay!!!

Shimelle has a FAB new class beginning in March!!  Her classes are always WONDERFUL!!  

Come and join me as I take this online class :)  

Learn to use up your stash in creative ways - no need to buy any new supplies for this class because it is all about using up the supplies you already have!!  You can also work in any size you prefer, so I think I will probably go small again :)  

Tuesday ramblings....

I had coffee with Lloyd again this morning at a ridiculously early time - he says I seemed a little more awake this morning.  I was able to keep my eyelids open more....it wasn't quite such a struggle.  Because of this Lloyd feels it might be a good idea for us to make this a regular thing.  6:15am coffee appointments together.  Hhmmm  maybe not tomorrow.  I'm thinking tomorrow I'd like to sleep in.  Sorry Baby.

It was so foggy AGAIN this morning that I almost decided to forget my plans and stay in bed!  The fog cleared though and we were able to head out for our day.

We left earlier than normal today because we called round to a car place in town and picked Val up - her car was having something done to it - the windscreen or something maybe????  Anyway...we picked her up and she spent much of the day with us, experiencing our Tuesday!!!

We headed to Abigails art class, dropped her off - she spent the morning making collaged art journals.  This weeks class didn't cover one specific artist - but various different artists - including several who made art out of garbage and recycled items.

While Abigail was at art, we headed to McD's for breakfast, where we were able to enjoy the highlights of last nights ice dance finals again (Go Canada) and Sam was able to get another Olympics toy with his breakfast meal.

After breakfast we headed to the thrift store and had great fun looking for bargains - I love looking for items I can alter and also containers that will look good in my craft room.  I also found the sweetest bird house that looks wonderful on my kitchen window at the moment.

Back to pick Abigail up from art...headed to the mall....Val ran off to get me some migraine meds (thank you) and I got the children some lunch.  Then Chapters....then Safeway.....but all of this done slowly with a LOT of chat......so it took much of the day.  Then Vals car was ready so we dropped her back there and said goodbye and we headed home.

By this time my migraine was bad so I took migraine meds (that I didn't have with me despite Lloyd reminding me constantly to check I have them in my bag - I just had empty packets).  I managed to run the vacuum round and tidy the kitchen etc and then I collapsed in my chair.

Susannah and Laurence came home and looked after me - they looked after Abigail and Sam too - Susannah baked and they just take over and make sure everything runs smoothly!!

Lloyd and Chris aren't home until late tonight - Lloyd's friend/ colleague is getting married so Lloyd is out at the bachelor party/ night out tonight.  Chris is downtown with friends until Lloyd picks him up.

My migraine is fine now - just have the side effects of the medication....which leaves me exhausted and I hurt all over.....but it's still much better than a migraine.

I'm thinking the migraine is related to the weather system thats coming in with this Westerly flow or whatever thats bringing the warmer weather.  It's been a bad Winter for migraines.  It's been a GREAT Winter....BUT - it's been a bad Winter for migraines......

I love that this chair is in my craft room and I can do things from here - I have my laptop, I have my table here....I can paint or knit, read, write.......sleep ;)

Sooooo looking forward to tomorrow.  A nothing day.  A DO NOT DISTURB day :)

New project.....

Today Val and I headed to the thrift store and one of my 'finds' was this big pillar candle holder.  It was a nasty red and gold colour though that doesn't go with my home at ALL.  I don't want it for a candle holder - I want it to display a mini album or to keep little bits and bobs in....

So far I have primed it with a simple white primer that I keep.  Last year I did a LOT of projects like this, and so I always have this around.  I'll now leave it 24 hours and then tomorrow I can do another coat of paint and then lacquer it.  

I haven't decided what colour to do it - white or the same colour as my craft room - I THINK I am going to do it white....I may use some crackle glaze on it.  

I was really pleased with my finds today!!  I got a few things to alter - and I forgot to mention - anyone who has read my blog for a while will remember that last year I altered a big tin tub and painted 'Fleurs' on the side.  I had it out on my porch with pansies in it all Summer long.  Last week I found ANOTHER one!!!  It also needs to be sprayed but I am sooo happy to have another one - I am going to spray it the same and put it beside the other one out on the porch this Summer - it is one size down from the other one so it will look perfect :)  

My afternoon.....

For today.....

Outside my window...it's foggy - again!!!  it's been foggy about 30 days since January 1st!!!  What is WITH this weather???  Thankfully it normally clears and leaves a gorgeous day - or a beautiful frost.  Today it is supposed to be the last of the frost and  it is supposed to be above freezing all week long!!  Woohoo :)


I am thinking...that I just can't WAIT until tomorrow - no plans at all - at least until the evening!  I am soooo looking forward to a quiet day at home :)  I am looking forward to going out for a walk and enjoying the peace and privacy of home after the chaos of yesterday and our busy Tuesday.

I am thankful for...my family.  For my wonderful husband and my great kids - been reading some things this morning that make me just UTTERLY grateful.

From the learning rooms...various projects, crafts, etc going on.  We're reading two books. (Abigail is reading one to herself and we're reading one together).  Art classes continues and we go to collect Abigails pottery pieces from the kiln this Friday.  Playing plenty of games to help Sam with his reading/ numbers...

From the kitchen...far too much baking going on...sigh...but luckily it disappears fast with so many in the house :)  I am loving my kitchen this Winter and how easy it makes baking and cooking.

I am wearing...just my nightwear as I'm in bed....

I am remembering...how lucky I am.....after reading a blog this morning that makes me want to hold my little ones close today!

I am creating...knitting projects, my junque journals, a few mini albums, some digital pages....

I am currently reading...Wicked ( kind of the prequel to The Wizard of Oz)

I am hoping...the fog isn't too bad on the way in to town....or that at least it clears before I have to leave.....or I won't want to go!!!  Right now I can barely see the end of my driveway!!


I am hearing...the children laughing downstairs - Laurence and Susannah are getting ready for school, Sam and Abby are getting ready for their day of homeschool.  Mike Sobel is doing the weather on tv.....

Around the house...not much - although - as mentioned - decluttering still ranks right up there.

One of my favorite things...having coffee with Lloyd in the mornings before he leaves for work.

Gold!!!! Go Canada!!

The youngest Olympic Ice Dance Champions  EVER, and the first from North America!!!!

GO CANADA!!!!

Go  Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Gold in figure skating ice dance :)  

Woohoo!!!!!!

x

My long Monday....

It's been a long day...eventful...busy...

For some CRAZY reason I suggested that Lloyd wake me up and have coffee with me before work - at 6:15am.  This is like the middle of the night to me.  I don't DO mornings!!  I struggled to keep my eyes open but it was lovely to sit with him for a while before he left for the day.

I was soon up and at it - got all my chores done, the children got busy with board games at the table...we fed the birds, brought the easel down tot he kitchen...pottered about, did laundry....

The water guy arrived just after 8am and seemed shocked to find me awake - he's quite used to arriving early morning and coming on in - going down tot he basement to add the chlorine and deliver the new chlorine and supplies and leaving the invoice on the island.....he's such a nice guy - he just wasn't expecting to see me up and about so early!!

Anyway, I chatted with him and then soon after I think Denis and Mike were the next to arrive....and with them the porch railings guy.....and Jorke the site Manager guy....(who is a Woodworking Engineer???  Of course Denis and Mike think this is funny and we were all saying isn't that the same as a carpenter??  lol....kind of like a hair architect is the same is a hair dresser lol)

Anyway....then next to arrive was Val!!!  So yes - we had quite the house full all day today!  Except the porch railing guy disappeared!!!  He isn't coming back until the weekend - or maybe next Monday and then Jorke left, but Denis and Mike stayed, and it was like old times, with the guys here working all day.

So we have a new fireplace in the kitchen/ sunroom and new panels in the kitchen.  They did a great job and I repaid them with freshly bakes scones with fresh cream and jam.  Val and I decided we deserved some too - so Val supplied the coffee creamer - white chocolate and macadamia flavour!!!  Oh my!!!  And we had scones.  Yum!

Sam 'helped' Denis and Mike all day and I'm sure they were very grateful for all his 'help'.....lol!  Lloyd finished work at 1:30pm and headed home so he could chat with Denis.  I spent my afternoon crafting in my room - I ended up using up some cardboard toilet tissue tubes that I had pointed out to Val this morning - I made a toilet tissue tube mini album.  It's basically made from flattened toilet tissue tubes covered with papers and you can slide tags etc inside each one - and they are bound together.  I still need to embellish them but the project is going well.

The guys were here working until 6pm when we had to head into town to pick Chris up from school.  We ended up with a very late supper.  Denis and Mike are such great guys and I couldn't have wished for nicer workmen to have here for almost a year - BUT I am soooo used to NOT having workmen here again, that I don't like having workmen here all day.....it's quite stressful.  I dread next year when it all starts again.  This afternoon we were walking around with Denis talking about support beams and which walls can come down and all the 'what if's'....and I'm already thinking  "WAAAAAAAAHHHH"!!!

Ok, it's 9pm and I'm soooo tired - going to bed early and switching off - another busy day tomorrow.

Sweeney Todd

Yesterday we took Chris to see the musical 'Sweeney Todd' at the Citadel theatre.  It was excellent!!  It wasn't as gruesome as I was expecting it to be, but the language surprised me.  I know the story of Sweeney Todd, because we studied it at school, but I have not seen the movie.  I now want to though, because this production was so good!  

I know this story isn't based on fact - but more of an urban legend, but wow - what a sad tale.  I felt sooooo sorry for Sweeney Todd!  What an unfortunate series of events :(  

The play did remind me of the movie 'Jersey Girl'...it was the same set and had the same song that appears in the movie.....

I won :)

I was lucky enough to be one of two winners chosen to win one of  Kara Haupt's WONDERFUL  Life Story Classes  on Michelle Clement's fabulous blog!!!  I am just so happy - I can't quite believe it!  I sooo enjoyed both Kara's classes that I took part in last year - I learned soooo much from them!!  I am sooo in love with composition art journals now - just today Sam sat on Vals lap and showed her his art journal and I was so proud to see how much he loved his creation - at just 5 years old!!!

And my Daughters both LOVE art journaling!!!  I KNOW that if I had bought them expensive art journals or tried in a different way, they would have felt pressure to create 'perfect' pages....but Kara taught us to glue and mod podge the pages and make them lovely and wrinkly...and gesso them - and so the girls have these gorgeous wrinkled pages that are already NOT perfect, so they feel FREE to create.  Susannah has a music art journal and a friendship art journal, and various other journals.....Abigail has soooo many - and just has fun making new ones and decorating the covers.  Susannah even made journals for her friends as Christmas gifts!!  And it's something we do when they have friends over - almost all their friends go home with a new art journal and a few extra supplies so they can continue at home!!!

I took Kara's 'Fall In Love' class and my little album is on a shelf in my craft room - I love it :)  I even copied my technique and used that as the style for my Christmas album because it's such a simple style.  I think thats what Kara taught me most of all - to let go of trying to be perfect - it doesn't HAVE to be perfect - pages can be wrinkled.....writing can be messy.....paper can be torn.....pictures can be lopsided....you can try styles and techniques that are NOT your usual type.

I don't think I would have finished my Christmas album if I had not taken the Fall class - because I would have still been in that 'perfection' mindset....and yet now I have two mini albums that I LOVE - probably my favourite albums of all - and the most fun to make - because they were a joy to make - so simple and FUN!!!

So yes, I'm pretty excited about being able to do this other class of Kara's and if you have some free time and feel like getting a little creative then I wholeheartedly recommend checking out Kara's brilliant classes.

Theory of a Deadman....

You can read more about this Vancouver trio HERE

For Libby....Australia's Gold!!!

Torah Bright won Gold for Australia in the Ladies Snowboarding Half pipe.  Hannah Teter won Silver and Kelly Clark won Bronze, both representing the USA.