Happy Canada Day

Turned out to be a pretty great day. Happy Canada Day everyone!

Fairy Tales, they come true, it could happen to you....

Today my dad drove 4 hours to bring me a piano. Tomorrow he'll drive 4 hours back again.

I have the best dad in the world :)

I have wanted a piano for a really long time. My dad found this beauty on Freecycle, and today drove it to me in the back of his truck. It's an oldie, from 1934, but with great sound. A good tuning and a little TLC and this old girl will be loved and enjoyed for many more years to come.

Katie has already taught herself to play 'Old McDonald' on it. I do believe we'll be taking lessons together.

Dreams do come true.

Mother Nature strikes again

I'm watching the rain pouring down outside.



Chose a heck of a week for vacation...

How I spent my summer vacation

I'm on vacation this week. We're enjoying a 'staycation', which is hardly a hardship given our great yard and pool. Today, day 1, we've played in the park, gone for a walk and swam in the pool, and I've worked on a placemat mini quilt.. Alas, the weather promises to be ookie most of the week...

The shower

The baby shower was today. In totally modern fashion it was co-ed, though neither C nor my father attended. The co-ed part wasn't as weird as I was expecting, though the men looked mostly uncomfortable when the party games began :)

But they liked the quilt :)

finished

I finished the quilt.

I finished sewing the binding on late last night. This evening I tossed it in the washing machine, on delicate, with woolite and a cup of salt (supposed to prevent colour bleed) and held my breath. It didn't disintegrate, which, I admit, I was really afraid of :)
Went through the washer and dryer beautifully, crinkled just
enough for a lovely effect and not so much that it became barbie sized. And despite every measuring error possible it came out a perfect square. Can't figure that out! Plus washing softened the cotton so now it's quite snuggly. It's machine pieced and quilted and hand bound. 40 inches square. Front is Moda's Oh Cherry Oh, back is a pale pink quilting cotton with a subtle white flower pattern, binding a solid bright pink.

I know I've blathered about this endlessly, but I am just so pleased
with it. It was a challenge, and I love the finished product so much!

Teacher gifts

End of year gifts for Princess and Wookie's teachers. Coffee cozies made using tutorial found here and simple matching fabric coasters. Inside the Starbucks cups are, naturally, Starbucks gift cards. 'cause that's what teachers really want isn't it?

My aching shoulders!

So I have the little baby quilt top sandwiched, basted and on my machine. It's the first time I've tried to stipple anything bigger than a doll quilt and holy guacamole is it hard on the arms and shoulders! I'm going to have some serious 'guns' when I finish! 1.5 hours and I've only finished about 10%, I'm starting to worry that I won't have it done by the 26th...

the days drift by

I can't believe I haven't blogged in two weeks. I'm here, but the weather has been pretty, and there are gardens to weed, garage sales to peruse, games of flatball to be played, baby quilts to be made, life to be lived.

School is almost over for the year and the bits are anxious to be done. I'll be taking a couple of weeks of precious holiday time at the beginning of July and I, too, am anxious for days of enjoying the sun and the pool and summer.

Rainbow cupcakes

Rainbow cupcakes to celebrate Jonah's official birthday today. 6 years old. I used the tutorial here and while it was time consuming I think it was worth it. Jonah was pleased.

Life in the capital

Around 1:00 today my office mates and I could hear a terrible ruckus coming from the street (bear in mind we're on the 5th floor and have thick office type unopenable windows). Between 3,000 and 4,000 forestry workers were marching up Metcalfe St towards Parliament Hill, chanting "Wake up Harper, Harper reveille" (which was quite catchy, I was chanting in my head half the afternoon). The 'parade' went on a loooooong time too, but was peaceful. Fun times downtown!

Pinwheels

I have until June 26 to finish this, a baby quilt for my niece-to-be. I was planning on having it 3 squares wide by 4 long, but now I'm thinking 4 x 4 might be better. A narrow (2-3 inch) border on all four sides, then bind it in... pink or aqua maybe? Fabric is Moda Oh Cherry Oh, I bought two charm packs, plenty for a crib quilt.

37

This is me at 37.

How can I be 37? In my head I'm still 16. Sometimes I catch sight of my reflection in a shopfront window and think 'who is that old lady?'

I had a wonderful birthday, quiet, laid back, just like a I like them. Cheesecake (of course) a nice dinner, the in-laws and a friend from the village over for dinner, along with my wonderful husband and children.

(and if you're thinking I look a wee bit tipsy in the picture you might be right, there was wine, and I like wine :) )

Par-tay!

A birthday party (a few days early) for J-man who is turning 6 (ack, how can my last baby be 6?!?!) Though it rained all morning we lucked out and by party time it was sunny (albeit really cool for late May). He was such a happy guy, all of his friends, cake, candy, games and presents.

Daredevil

Click for full size.



My little daredevil. She was barely tall enough to go on this ride at the Gloucester Fair but she was
insistent. No way in hell I was getting on that. C took her over, measured her, then she jumped on the ride, by herself (he wasn't riding any rides) and away she went. She got off with a huge grin ready to go again. 5 or 6 times in total (plus 3 on that drop zone thing that free falls many feet before slowing down).

I don't know where she gets it from...

More progress (but a different project)

I finished sewing the strips together last night but it was too late to photograph. This one will be Jonah's quilt, eventually, but because of my utter lack of math skills it's too narrow in it's current form. Another stripe of stacked coins would be the logical choice but I'm out of a couple of patterns. I'm thinking a simple 5 inch border on all 4 sides, in either orange or red (I'm really leaning towards the red lineworks rocketship print that matches the orange print in the coins). Decisions decisions...



(PS - Idol ROCKED tonight, I love both of the finalists, I'll be happy and sad tomorrow no matter who wins.... think they can just call it a tie?)

Progress

I'm the world's slowest seamstress (not to mention the world's slowest cutter and incredibly distractible), but tonight I've been sitting at the machine, listening to the rain, the hiss of the iron, and all of the Adam Lambert performances I've downloaded from itunes (laugh if you will but he's awesome, I'm totally buying his CD whenever it comes out). I'm making Katie a whirlygiggle quilt based on this tutorial (except I made my template smaller, to make use of some 4 inch fabric charms I already had). Each finished whirl is 6.5 inches square... which means I'll need lots and lot and lots and lots to make a twin size quilt!

It's a start anyway...

Around the yard

Just a few pictures from around my yard. It's our first Spring here, so these were all planted by the previous owners (or in the case of the plum blossoms and crab apple blossoms probably the owner before that).

Out of the groove

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. It's hard for me to post when I'm in a funk because I don't particularly like sharing my blahs. And even though the past month has contained many fabulous things, writing about them would doubtless be coloured by my mood.

However, the good weather is coming and while things aren't exactly settling down at work they are, at least momentarily, stable.

More updates coming soon but for now I'll leave with a picture from our annual girls' getaway in New Hampshire April 2-5.

Easter

Spent Easter at my parents' place, they always put on a grand spread and this was no exception, more food than 13 armies could eat, and more than 150 candy-filled plastic eggs for the kids (and my sister-in-law) to search for in the yard. A lovely weekend.

Today

It's been one year. One year ago today my dearest friend departed this mortal earth for places unknown.

In many ways it feels like it's been a very long year, but I feel like it was just yesterday we were chatting on the phone. Truth is I haven't stopped talking to her. Nearly every day there is something I want to tell her about, or ask for her advice, except now it's mostly in my head. I can hear her responses though, as clear as if she was across from me in the kitchen, or on the other end of the phone line, her laughter, her silliness, her sage advice (usually to 'smarten up') when I need a kick in the @$$.

Miss you...

Excuses

You know that feeling, when you try on a pair of pants, look at yourself in the mirror and think 'these pants make me look really fat'. I'm realizing (as this happens more and more frequently) that it's not the pants that are making me look fat.

I come from a slender family, my dad can (and does) eat anything, exercises never, and is skinny as a beanpole, my mom too is slender without any effort. I too was slender right up until my late 20s, at which point a switch to a sedentary desk job, two pregnancies fairly close together, and a baby who NEVER.SLEPT.EVER (with accompanying coffee addiction and exercise aversion) started the upward climb in my pants size.

The reality is I've been hiding behind these excuses for years now, while bit by bit the scales inch higher. I'll drop weight when Jonah starts sleeping, when we have more time to cook healthier fare, when I buy a treadmill, when I buy proper running shoes, when we move to a better neighbourhood, when I have more energy, when I'm not so busy, when the weather is better. So many excuses, and still the needle climbs.

I need to stop making excuses. I'm not certain where to start, it seems so overwhelming now, but I can't keep going this way. My kids don't need a mom who can't keep up with them, or who is dead before they hit highschool.

I'd like my hour back please.

I'm not a morning person.

Winter tends to be tough for me because it's dark when I get up in the morning (dark when I shower, brush my teeth, drink my tea, still dark when I leave for work). Just when the mornings were starting to brighten up... damned early daylight savings time again. It wasn't such a huge problem when it started in April, but now... just when mother nature was giving us a glorious taste of morning sunshine the powers that be who feel an inescapable urge to tinker with things push back the clock so that my morning routine and commute are, again, in the dark.

Forget that the sun goes down later, that it's bright now when I'm having dinner, I'm normally quite chipper in the evenings sun or not. It's the morning sunshine I need!

I have been ridiculously cranky this week. I know, there's probably more to it than just my stolen hour of sleep and my precious morning sunshine, the rain and cold don't help either, but DST is certainly a worthy target for my ire.

At least there are lovely sunsets over the lake.... oh, except this 'lake' is a farmer's field. Love that Spring flooding :)

The sleepover

This year for her birthday Katie wanted to have a couple of friends sleep over at our house. She's had friends sleep over before (1 at a time) so I didn't see any harm in it. Well holy cow, 4 friends (5 little girls in total, plus token J-man) is waaaaay different than 1 at a time. The noise level, the dramas, the cat fights, and that was all before dinner! We had 'make your own pizza' for dinner (flour flying everywhere, piles of cheese several inches high), and decorate your own cupcake for dessert (much more subdued than the cheese, but we lit and blew out the candles so many times they were nothing but stumps).

She had a blast, but the last of them didn't fall asleep until after 11:00pm and they were ALL up before 7:00 this morning. I don't think we'll be repeating this any time soon, not until she and her friends are a LOT older.

One last skate

The Rideau Canal Skateway officially closes tonight for the season (in about 15 minutes actually). Weatherman is calling for warm temperatures and rain, so it was inevitable. It was a pretty good stretch this year.

We couldn't resist one last skate (and, of course, a Beavertail.) Goodbye for another year skateway...

(and yes, I'm wearing Katie's hat. We forgot to bring along her thin hat for under her helmet, so she's wearing mine and I'm wearing hers. Might need to get me one of those actually, it's pretty cute on me ;) )

Griping about nothing

The daycare is taking the kids tubing on March Break (Jonah's age group Tuesday, Katie's Thursday), yay, that's fun. They say your kid MUST have a helmet to go along, OK, I like the idea of helmets if I'm not going to be there to supervise my own kids (and besides, we already have helmets) but then it says if your kid doesn't have a helmet not only can they not come on the trip but they can't come to the daycare at all that day.

Excuse me?

We pay to send our kids here and you'd deny someone (keeping in mind only half of the group is going each day so there'll still be kids and teachers at the centre) childcare that day because they can't afford to spend $100 on a snowboard helmet the kid would wear once??? (Again, we already have helmets, but there are a lot of kids in the centre who are there on subsidy whose parents are new to the country and likely couldn't afford a helmet, plus good luck FINDING a helmet in March, snowboarding/skating season is over dude). Did they also include any suggestions for rentals - heck no. I'm cheesed, not because I don't believe in helmets (I do) or because I don't have helmets (I do) but because that is so unfair to say pony up the cash or keep your kids at home. Grrrrrrr.

Sign sign

I seldom drive when C is in the car, I'm much happier to be a passenger. However I'm also one of those people who gets carsick if I try to read or craft in the car, so I spend a LOT of time looking out the window. Which is where I saw this funny window cling. In case your French is as poor as mine it reads "Warning: this car is like another man's wife, look, admire but don't touch". Hehehe, struck me as funny (though it was on a Hyundai, not exactly the kind of trophy wife I'd expect to garner a lot of attention anyway. Now if it was a Porche.... however no one in their right mind would put a sticker on a Porche)

Birthday Princess

I can't believe she's 8, I swear she was just born yesterday. She's just so grown up, she asked for (and got) an MP3 player for her birthday, and now it's loaded up with Jonas Brothers songs. She has tastes and preferences not just different than mine but for things I don't even know about. She's growing and changing so fast, becoming so independent. It's exciting, exhilarating and terrifying.