{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a memorable weekend! 

 

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The Olson Christmas

We had Christmas with the Olson's this year. An early Christmas because I had to work Christmas day, but Christmas none-the-less. It had been a while since we'd been home. You won't remember our last visit home because I didn't tell you about it, but I took Sawyer to visit Erik's family when I picked him up after he was done fishing in Alaska. I can't believe I never wrote about that -- it was so much fun! Well, here's a picture of Sawyer helping my MIL in the garden in July...

On our more recent visit, from December 15-20, we tried to squeeze in as many of our traditions in as possible -- eating at Vera Cruz, checking out the Skagit Barn Ornament Place thingy, spending too much money at Quiet Light Candles, eating lefsa, eating everything, and spending time with the family.

This is Mom making lefsa. Lefsa is actually delicious, but I only like it when it hasn't been refrigerated... then it doesn't taste as potato-ey. According to Wikipedia, lefse is "a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread. Lefse is made out of potato, milk or cream (or sometimes lard), and cooked on a griddle. Special tools are available for lefse baking, including long wooden turning sticks and special rolling pins with deep grooves."

I think my MIL uses sour cream in her lefsa. Lefsa is pretty much a giant crepe made out of mashed potatoes. I like mine with butter and sugar -- yummy! The only reason I don't like it being too potato-ey is because then putting sugar with it just seems wrong... I don't usually enjoy my mashed potatoes doused in sugar.

Below you can see Erik's sister, Shawna, participating in the festivities through skype. We got to talk to her boys and then she sat and chatted with us as we opened our gifts.

We are always so busy when we are at my in-laws. We are busy and yet it feels like we don't really do too much. I have said it many times and I am sure I will say it again, but I love it there. 

Merry Belated Christmas!

a few of my favourite things

I love everything about newborns:

• the way they curl up if you hold them under the arms
• the way they smell
• their slightly dusky extremities
• the way they grunt and squeak
• the way they mold into you
• the way they sleep through anything
• their yawns
• their perfect little cheeks
• their perfect little hands and feet
• their itty bitty bottoms

These are a few of my favourite things about all newborns, but Jordyn has a couple other things I adore -- things not every baby has. 

First, her bum chin. Cuuuuuttteeeee! I love love love it! 

And second, her furrowed brow. It's not actually furrowed... she just has a chubby forehead, I guess. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Yup, those are a few of my favourite things about my newest niece, though I am sure I will come to love many more. As my sister Lindsey put it, I can't wait to show her how loved she is. 

Hope you're still lingering in the lovely Christmas season. I am trying to, but it is a little difficult when you are working every day.

Music Monday: Boxing Day Special!

I hope you are all happy mondains today. Visions of sugar plums the day after Christmas is probably not the most pleasant thing to have in your head. That's why I am doing my part for the world and posting my two most favorite songs today from Sufjan. Its a Christmas miracle!

This first song is runner up for most favorite on the album (although pretty much every song I've posted has that title too). The funny thing is that I didn't think twice about this song for a long time but it has grown and grown on me. I love its simplicity and honesty but it has an edge of enigma that keeps me interested. Love it. This is "Only at Christmas Time" by Sufjan Stevens



Now it is time to reveal my number one! I don't know how to describe my appreciation for this piece of music. I love that he took a melody that hasn't been changed for hundreds of years and changed it while still doing it justice. I love the driving beat. I love the constant accompaniment of the electric guitar distorted to a high degree. I absolutely love the solo that builds the song up and the organ that catches the listener when it falls. I love all of the instruments and voices blending together to make a great noise. I love this song!

This is "What Child Is This Anyway" by the incomparable Sufjan Stevens



Next week concludes my Sufjan Christmas special with more great music.

Until next time, keep your children labelled.

EDO

Meeting Jordyn

Erik and I were planning on driving to his parent's on the 14th and we were passing through Abbotsford so we had a chance to meet Jordyn - the newest Jansen. She was a mere 16 hours old when I first held her (which is younger than Maelle was for our first snuggle).

I thought I was going to be emotionally stable, but I burst into tears the minute I saw Anthony. The tears only came on stronger as he collected his newest daughter and placed her in my arms. The tears were nothing new and my SIL even said she expected nothing less and would have been disappointed if I hadn't been teary-eyed.

Again I was amazed at the immediate love I felt for this little person. This perfect little being. Seriously, so much love.

I love seeing Anthony as a daddy. He is so proud of his girls and pumped to be a father. It is adorable to watch him play with Hailey and it was amazing to see him holding his new baby girl. Again, so much love.

Little Jordyn has some war wounds from her birth. The surgeon accidentally cut Jordyn's face when cutting through the uterus. Jenn said the surgeon was good about it and apologized profusely for the incident, but it is still sad to see a baby with a wound before even being born. I'm thankful it wasn't any closer to her eye -- now that would have been awful!

And Hailey is now a big sister. The two girls are 18 months apart and Hailey apparently loves her little sister. Haily seemed much younger and smaller when I talked to her on Skype last Monday... she looks huge now that I have Jordyn to compare her to. Funny how that happens.

I was glad I got to meet Jordyn when she was so new. I enjoyed sharing in my family's excitement and snuggling a brand new, sweet-smelling baby. I love her.

My Niece: A Proper Introduction

Jordyn Sierra

Born December 13, 2011 at 2339

Weight: 7lb 10 oz

Height: Longer than her sister was.

Christmas Tree Hunt

This is my second year having a real Christmas tree and the first year I have actually gone out to get it. Friends of ours have a relative who owns a pretty piece of property and every year they go hunting for a Christmas tree on it (it's some bajillion acres). That's where they got our tree for us last year because we couldn't make it the day they were going. It's about an hour and a half drive from home, but it's a beautiful drive and we went on a b-e-a-u-t-f-u-l day. There was no snow at home, but there was a light dusting in Cherryville.

Erik and Kevin had to go take down the tree stand Kevin uses when he hunts on the property so Mandi, Sawyer and I walked along a road that goes through the property looking for the "perfect" trees. When we saw one we thought we might like we would go off to explore it and we usually changed our minds.

I have learned that I am not very good at picking out trees. I have no perception of what is small enough for a house -- the giant ones always caught my eye. Mandi would poo-poo the ones I like initially and say they were far too big. Mandi picked out our little tree last year and it was pretty perfect so I decided I could trust her. I did get better though.

We ended up finding two trees that were side by side in a little field just off the road. There branches were almost touching and they were both lovely. We decided it was meant to be and sat by them waiting for the boys to come back. They thankfully agreed with us and we were making our way home five minutes later with two trees in the back of Kev's pick-up.

We are thinking we need to bring cookies and hot chocolate next year and have a little picnic in the back of the truck. And that, friends, is the story of my first ever Christmas tree hunt. Not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be, but Mandi and I enjoyed chatting and watching Sawyer toddle through the snow. I don't know what excitement I was expecting... silly me. If it wasn't abnormal I would have Christmas trees all year. I love love love them!

So Much

I have so much to be thankful for. So much! This past week has been incredibly busy and I have many posts a brewing, but I wanted to start off with this... Right now I have this little lady sleeping on the floor in my living room while I finish up my Christmas cards (woops!). 

Having her lying in front of me is a little distracting -- I can't help but stare at her. These little people I have in my life constantly remind me to slow down and revel in their sweetness. They truly are a blessing.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a blessed weekend! 

 

*** *** ***

 

Music Monday: Worst ever!

Good night,

It is late for my music post. I apologize for that. I do not apologize for the reasons why, spending time with people I hardly ever see.

Yesterday my family celebrated Christmas together as we will not be here next week for the actual Christmas day. It was great to be together observing the same Christmas traditions that we have ever since I can remember. I get a quantum type of feeling when we celebrate Christmas. Because we have the same traditions every year it feels like all of them are simultaneously happening at the same time. I remember eating the same food I have for the past twenty years, opening the same types of packages, sitting around the same decorated tree, making the same Christmas jokes, and smiling the same smiles. It is the most bizarre feeling; like twenty feelings of deja vu at once.

Many people have Christmas traditions. They can be wonderfully comforting or endlessly annoying. Let's hope that your Christmas traditions don't resemble this song; this is Sufjan Stevens with "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!"



This is Sufjan Stevens with another classic Christmas song, "Once In Royal David's City"



Until next time I hope that all of your Christmases bring hope. Stay safe in all your travels.

EO

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a merry weekend! 

*** *** ***

Another Addition to the Family

In my excitement over welcoming a new niece I forgot to inform you that we will also be welcoming a new sister into the Jansen clan!!!

My brother Joel and his girlfriend Rachael are getting married this summer!!! They dated many moons ago and then broke up for many moons more and have gotten back together and decided to get married!!! Yippee.

A New Baby

I am thrilled (more than thrilled) to announce the arrival of another Jansen darling -- my niece, Jordyn Sierra. This little one already has a mind of her own as she was supposed to be born today. Jenn had a cesarean section booked, but Jordyn just couldn't wait to meet us! Jenn went into labour early yesterday morning and Jordyn was born via c-section sometime around 11pm last night weighing a whopping 7lb 10oz. I'm told she is pretty adorable.

I happened to be awake at 0200 when my mama sent me a text message (silly mama) about a gift she has for me. I texted back and asked why in the world she was awake (and what made her think that texting me at 0200 was a good idea). Turns out she was leaving the hospital. She didn't tell me why, but informed me that I should call my brother. So I called Anthony and he broke the news that I had a new niece. Yay!! Mom, Dad, and Jordyn were all settling down to sleep so we kept the conversation short, but I got to tell them I loved them.

We are heading down to Erik's parent's for Christmas today or tomorrow and are planning to stop in at the hospital for a little meet and greet. I can't wait!!

We have a new baby! I am so excited.

little miss

Little Miss and I had a sleepover on Saturday. The girls are actually over again right now -- I even managed to put them down in the same room! 

On Saturay, Maelle's parents had a Christmas party to attend so Erik and I enjoyed her company. As I have said many times before, she is absolutely delightful. She sings and dances and is very very vocal. She chats for hours though I don't understand much of what she says. She throws in the odd identifiable word like ball, daddy, mommy, puppy, arrrfff, ya-ya (snack). But it's mostly just babble. And she sometimes babbles with a lisp -- pretty cute. 

I can't believe how big she is getting! And how much hair she has grown in the past couple months. It was so nice to have her all to myself again. I like not having to share her with her mama. My girls always pick their mama's over me... but they usually pick me over their uncle so I get plenty of snuggles at my house.

I sat down intending to write more, but I just realized it's after 11pm and I don't know how early my morning will be with the two girls sleeping in the same room tonight. It's their first sleepover with each other and our first triple date.

Goodnight!

Music Monday: December Doubles!

Hello Mondains. I'm glad you are here to listen to two more of my favorite Sufjan Stevens Christmas songs. The first was "Sister Winter" a song with tones of overcoming what hardships stern winter can bring.

Next up is a favorite for any singer who loves to belt out a good chorus. "FAAAAAAALLLLLLLL ON YOUR KNEEEEEES! OH HEEEEAAAAR THE ANGEL VOOOOIIIICES!" I love this version because of the almost nonchalant tone they keep for the chorus and yet it is still very moving. I also love the prominent female voice in the background; you know, the one with the glass breaking high note. She's great.



Until next time, keep your nights holy and your winters stern.

EDO

this girl needs some jeans

In the past month I have ripped TWO pairs of jeans (in a matter of nine days actually). With one pair I bent over in the grocery store and felt a cool breeze where there should not have been one. And with the other pair I took a large step up into the back of a truck and felt the same. Neither tear was due to my growing derriere, both were expected. I had been wearing both pairs since high school and I had gotten them second hand from my sister.

This turn of events, however, means I am down to two pairs of jeans. One of them is ripped in the knees (a lovely thrift store purchase) and the other is from the gap (and stretches out to give me a saggy butt within an hour of squeezing in to them). Actually, I also have a third pair, also from the Gap, that I was told to purchase in a size smaller than I am because they were expected to stretch out... and they didn't so I have too tight pants that give me a muffin top and nobody likes a muffin top. I bought those three years ago and they have been sitting on my shelf ever since (at least they were on sale for $20). Oh, and as an aside, they shrunk in length after the first wash (somebody put them in the dryer) and are now an inch and half too short... not attractive.

So I implore you, what are your favourite jeans??

I am willing to save up a little extra cash to get nice ones as I end up wearing them for years and years. I would prefer jeans that don't stretch too much and that aren't too tight. Where do you buy them? What do you look for? Help!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a peaceful weekend!

*** *** ***

 

the solar system

I could not, for the life of me, remember the sequence of the the planets in the solar system. The little ditty I was taught as a young lass to keep the planets in order has since been forgotten. I know that it starts with My Very Excellent Mother, but I cannot recall the rest, so I have always managed to keep Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars in order, but my memory is hazy beyond that. I knew that Pluto, Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn fit into the puzzle somewhere as all, but I often forgot about Neptune entirely! And I'm not told that Pluto isn't even a planet? When did that happen? And how?

I was a little dismayed at my lack of knowledge so I decided to do a little bit of research. For starters, the order of the planets goes like this:

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn 

Uranus

Neptune
Pluto

Now that we have that sorted out I'll continue on to a couple other things I discovered in my research today. 

• The solar system is split into the Inner Solar System and the Outer Solar System. 
• The Inner Solar System contains Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. 
• The Outer Solar System contains Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet and therefore only receives an honourable mention here. 
• The Inner and Outer systems are separated by the Main Asteroid Belt which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
• The planets are also classified by composition. 
• There are terrestrial or rocky plants: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. 
• And there are jovian or gas planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 
• The terrestrial planets are composed of rock and metal and have relatively high densities, slow rotation, solid surfaces, no rings, and few satellites (like the Moon). 
• Gas planets are composed primarily of hydrogen and helium and generally have low densities, rapid rotation, deep atmospheres, rings and lots of satellites. 
• If we were to reduce the size of the solar system by a factor of a billion then:
• Earth would be the size of a grape. 
• The Sun would be 1.5 meters in diameter (about the height of a man).
• Jupiter would be the size of a large grapefruit. 
• Saturn would be the size of an orange. 
• Uranus and Neptune would be lemons. 
• The Moon would be a foot away from the Earth.
• The Earth would be 150 meters from the Sun (a city block).
• Neptune would be 30 blocks away from the sun.
• Planets can also be categorized by history. 
• Classical planets have been known since prehistorical times. They are visible to the unaided eye and include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. 
• Modern planets were only discovered in modern times and are visible only with optical aid. These include Uranus and Neptune. 

Thought you might like to know.

information from http://nineplanets.org/

Music Monday: Its Christmas Time!

Hello all you Mondains. Today marks the first Monday of December and that means that it is also the first Monday for December doubles!!! That's right all of December I will be doing double posts. You may be asking yourself what this is all about; where's the catch? The catch is this; at least half of the doubles will be Sufjan Stevens... in fact all of the doubles will be Sufjan Stevens! This may lead you to ask why again and my answer is because Sufjan has an entire five disk Christmas album that MUST BE HEARD!

You may be tired of Christmas songs by now but before you roll your eyes and go on to the next blog you should have a listen. As with all of Sufjan's music he strives to tell the story in a different way. I love his songs. Even the ones that sound similar to their original form have a special Sufjan touch.

So to kick off the December Doubles here is Sufjan Stevens with a Christmas classic: Lo! How a Rose E're Blooming.



And now a not so Christmas classic: Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? (Well You Deserved It).



I hope you enjoyed but if not there are 6 more songs left to go. Pity me because I have to choose which ones to leave out. Sad.

Until next time, keep your roses blooming.

EDO

that sewing machine and some beautiful things

I cannot believe it is already December! I thought the year and life in general would slow down after school was out, but it seems to have sped up. I think shift work does that to you. Especially casual shift work -- half the time my body doesn't know if it should be awake or sleeping.

I got very frustrated with my sewing machine this morning. Very very frustrated. I hasn't been working that well (ok, so it has never worked that well) and it kept ruining the banner I am making. The sewing machine was given to my mom a couple years ago and wasn't in good working order to begin with, but I have suffered through it all this time.

Today was just too much.

Maybe that was because I was sewing before breakfast. Or because the banner is already annoying me (free-handing letters and first time trying applique). Or because this happens over and over and over and I can't seem to figure out what is wrong with it. Whatever the reason, I almost threw my sewing machine through the window. If you were in the room, as Erik was, you would even have heard me say "I just want to throw something! Or break something! Or hit something really hard!" But I didn't.

Instead I curled up by my husband and pouted. Then claimed I didn't want breakfast (because I sometimes do silly things like that when I am angry). And because he knows me best he kissed me on the forehead and got up promptly to start frying some eggs.

So, with the smell of frying butter, I have retreated to calm down at the computer. The sewing machine is still within view -- sitting on the kitchen table, rejected. My heart is still racing in frustration, but I no longer want to break something. Instead I want to go to the store and purchase a brand new sewing machine this afternoon so I can continue on my sewing endeavors. But I won't do that. Instead I will hunt one down that I can borrow.

For now I will look at lovely and beautiful things that make me happy. Like this adorable dress, for example.

And the colour palette of this room.

And a little munchkin entangled in linen (in a yellow sleeper -- my favourite!).

And this room. Oh, to have this room. I don't know if there is anything I don't adore about this room. I love the colours, the old window, the banner, the pillows, the fabrics, everything. This room is lovely.

My mood has only slightly improved. Maybe setting up the Christmas tree will make things better.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a rejuvenating weekend!

*** *** ***

 

the snuggle

I was snuggling with Sawyer when Maelle came in the room and decided to join in by climbing on top. We stayed like this for 15 minutes and I was only slightly concerned about the lack of oxygen Sawy's brain was receiving, but she didn't seem bothered.

Yup, this is how we roll. Me and my besties.

Music Monday

Good day.

Music Monday coming at you today with an old time fave and a longer than expected plot summary.  Juicy.

The Protomen. I am very much into them right now. Their second album, Act II: The Father of Death, is a great experience the entire way through way through. I recently looked into the album a little further and learned a little about the storyline. The story is based on the popular Mega Man Nintendo games but is an original story line as it does not appear in the games themselves.

The story has four characters: Dr. Thomas Light, Emily, Dr. Albert Wily, and Joe. Dr. Light is working with Dr. Wily to alleviate human suffering by creating robots to work dangerous and physically taxing jobs (Dr. Light's father worked himself to death in the mines). Dr. Wily displays his true motives to subjugate men to his will just before the robots go online. Dr. Light has second thoughts, meanwhile Dr. Wily executes his plan to remove the threat of Dr. Light to his scheme by using a robot to slay Dr. Light's betrothed Emily. Dr. Light is framed and blamed for the death of Emily but after being found not guilty in court is forced to leave the city. Years pass. The next generation grows up in apathy. Dr. Wily rules the city by fear, forcing people to do his bidding or they would silently disappear one night. Enter Joe; disgruntled youth whose parents had disappeared. Joe decides he's going to do something and speaks out against what goes on in the city. He rides his motorcycle to the edge of town, unknowingly followed by the same robot assassin who killed Emily. The robot shows itself; Joe fights and by chance wins. Dr. Light, living on the outskirts of town all these years, meets Joe during the fight and afterwards the two devise a plan to oust Wily. Joe rides his motorcycle to the center of town with a bundle of explosives aiming to destroy the beacon which controls all the robots and the broadcasting systems which have fed the city with propaganda for years. Joe succeeds in destroying the beacon tower at the cost of his life. Dr. Light arrives in time to see Joe's death, discouraged at the death he feels he has caused he aims to give up. Dr. Wily has anticipated an attack on his reign and has made sure to have backup beacons in the city; he seizes the opportunity to reveal an entire army of the assassin robots that he has been building through the years. Awaiting his doom, Dr. Light unfolds a letter written by Emily years ago which he has never had the nerve to read. Emily's letter brings new courage to Dr. Light, inspiring a plan to bring down Wily's regime for good and giving him courage to live another day.

For your listening pleasure this is "Keep Quiet". At this point Joe has realized that he has been targeted by the robot assassin and is ready to fight rather than live in fear.



I am in total Rock Operawe of this album.

Until next time, keep your City free and your robot apocalypse subdued.

ED (prot)O

the mama: soulemama

I don't know how many of you have heard of soulemama, but I think she is fairly well-known. I've been reading her blog for almost five years now (woah!). I can't remember who directed me towards her blog or how I stumbled across it, but I absolutely adore this woman! Her name is Amanda Blake Soule and she hails from Maine.

I feel inspired by her -- inspired to create, to use what I have, to be resourceful, to be thoughtful, to be intentional, to be simple.

SouleMama is always creating something. Crafting, creating and re-purposing is a way of life for her and her family and this is something I admire. My favourite thing about her is that when I look at the things she has been making, I feel as though I could make them as well. Nothing is too fancy or finicky and everything has an organic/natural feel to it.

Also, SouleMama knits. She knits a lot and she knits lovely things. She knits for herself, she knits for her husband, she knits for her children. The only reason I knit this vest, is because SouleMama knit the same one for her youngest son.

I keep a list of things I want to make in my head. The list is always much greater than my capacity for creating, but it keeps me dreaming. These are a couple things SouleMama has made that I have been dreaming of re-creating for myself.

First of all: Banners. I want one for every occasion! Or even many for every occasion. I absolutely love them! I have attempted making them many a time, but have never had the motivation to actually commit to completing one. The main reason is that I love the mismatched feel of these. I don't have many scraps of fabric so I would have to go out and purchase it all... And I have such a hard time purchasing fabric because then I get too "matchy-matchy" and I hate "matchy-matchy". There-in lies part of the problem.

Look at these though! Aren't they beautiful?!?!?! And fun?!?! I think they are absolutely lovely and I want one in every single room in my house.

And they look so easy to make. I just have to sit down and do it because they would be so easy to make. I have to commit! Maybe I'll call in my own mama for re-enforcements. That lady does not know how to leave a project half-done. 

And this i-cord garland for the Christmas Tree. I have been intending to make this for four years! Every single year I sift through SouleMama's archives to find this lovely little garland. I love the yarn she used and even tried to contact the seller this year, but she no longer sells on-line so I will have to go to my yarn store and find something similarly breath-taking.

I think this would look wonderful on our tree this year. I am especially fond of the colours as they are unconventional for Christmas decorating. If they local yarn store disappoints then I am sure etsy will have something suitable for my own i-cord garland. 

My goal is to make a banner and an i-cord garland by Christmas. I'm going to start small with the banner and just make one that says NOEL. That way I am much more likely to complete it. I'll keep you posted.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Wishing you a fun-filled weekend!

*** *** ***

the buds.

These are from a few weeks ago, but I have been meaning to share them. We were at a church gathering and Sawyer needed to go down for a nap. Mr E decided he was sleepy too so he laid down with her.

The two of them chatted and played for a little bit, but when I peaked in on them 10 minutes later I found them like this.... both fast asleep.

What could be better than a Sunday afternoon nap?

the knitted gift

Our neighbours had a baby a couple weeks ago. They're approaching the two week lull when people stop bringing meals and visiting. Most people have already oogled at the baby and have now forgotten the mama who's at home with three kids under two (they have twins) as papa is starting back at work.

I'm planning on making them some meals tomorrow as I have the day off work. the problem is... I don't know what to make them! The only things that come to mind are many variations of pasta, casseroles, and/or slow cooker meals. That is probably what they have been living on for the past two weeks! Any good ideas???

We don't know these neighbours very well. In fact, we hardly know them at all. We stop and chat in the street and we wave when we see each other through our living room windows, but we have never had them over for coffee. We are planning on getting together tonight once their kids are in bed... if things slow down for them. I've talked to the husband a couple times recently and he has said it has been hard on his wife so I have offered to give her a hand whenever she needs it. We live in our front room so they can always see if we are home so I gave them my number and she knows she can call anytime. We decided that we'd better get to know each other a little bit so the mama feels a bit more comfortable  calling me.

I ran this little vest over to them a couple days ago. I altered the pattern I had used before so I didn't need to get seven buttons. It was easy peasy once I realized I was being a bit of a dud on my first attempt. This is such a quick knit! It may be my "go to" for baby showers. At least for little boys. I think it's adorable. I just need to figure out how to make the vest for bigger babies... it's pretty much newborn size. Tiny.

I'm going to need to peruse ravelry again because I need to find a new pattern! My goal is to try a new pattern every month. I also want to make Erik and myself sweaters... we'll see how that goes.

the nuk

My little buddy Sawyer has a Nuk. You know... a soother, a pacifier, a plug. This little girlie uses her Nuk for naps and at night. Her mama's strategy for weaning her off it was to cut little bits off said Nuk weekly. 

So Mandi cut and cut and cut. And Sawyer sucked and sucked and sucked. And they were both quite content. Sawyer didn't seem bothered by her shortening friend. She didn't even seem to notice. The only thing that changed was that she started having to hold the little gaffer in while she sucked to prevent it from popping right out her mouth.

So hold she did. Hold she does, actually. She holds her little Nuk in and ferociously sucks it as she hums herself to sleep. The problem is there is nothing left to cut.

You see, Sawyer's Nuk has been reduced to the tiniest of nubbins. And yet she wails and wails if she is tucked in without her little friend. What a silly goose.

Looks like it will take a couple rough nights to break the habit. I may have to volunteer my services when the time comes... that's going to be hard on Mom and Dad. Oh Little Bean -- give it up already!

If your kids used pacifiers, how did you transition to being nuk-less?

Music Monday: In the cave

Happy Monday.

Today's video is brought to you by the fine people at Asthmatic Kitty Records. It is an interesting and beautiful song and only partly due to the musical aspect of it. The rest... well, you should see for yourself.



I couldn't believe it when I saw it but the Great Stalacpipe Organ is a real thing.

http://luraycaverns.com/DiscoverTheCaverns/StalacpipeOrgan/tabid/504/Default.aspx


Apparently an engineer, Leeland Sprinkle, visited the cavern and after seeing what was down there he formulated a plan to create the largest musical instrument in the world. It took him 36 years to bring it all together and he honed the stalactites down to perfect intonation by sanding each one by hand! That is vision, drive, and perseverance in complete harmony. The instrument works through rubber mallets tapping the stalactites

The composer of this song is from a musical group called Pepe Deluxe. They stated that it took 6 years of planning and preparation before they finished work on this project. Also vision, drive, and perseverance in harmony.

Until next time, keep your stalactites honed.

E

the neighbours

We have some wonderful neighbours! One couple mowed our lawn regularly throughout the summer and we now have a guy across the street who shovels driveways when he is inebriated. I'm not complaining. 

the first annual

Erik and I hosted our first annual Sweet Art Night. Ok, so we are hoping it will be more of a monthly occurrence, but "first annual" just has such a nice ring to it.

You see, in university Erik and his friend Dale had these things called Sweet Art Nights during which they would get together and create. What they created didn't matter, only that they were there drinking tea, creating, and enjoying each others. At the end of the night they would share what they had created. They never planned what they would make and they never stressed about it. They just did whatever they felt like doing in the moment.

Erik and I decided we wanted to have a Sweet Art Night. We went out and purchased some water colour paints, some pencil crayons, some paper, and some paint brushes and invited a couple friends over to create with us.

I have a hard time differentiating between "crafting" and "arting". Everything I wanted to do was "crafting". Erik banned fiber arts. He banned anything planned. He banned making presents for other people. He banned making cards. He said I shouldn't care about the end result and I shouldn't have the intention or the pressure of making something look good. The end result does not matter -- only the creating.

Some options for Sweet Art Night could be creative writing of any sort, sketching, drawing, colouring, painting... pretty much anything you can do around a table with friends. You can glue things together, break things apart, cut and paste, whatever you're merry heart desires. Or so I'm told. The options really are endless and I am actually excited about it. I'm not a very creative person (yes, I do crafts, but I always have a template to follow, or a descriptive pattern, or specific directions), but I think that is something you can develop... or at least you can become more creative. As of now I am not good at "creating from within", but this is something I am definitely interested it. 

I can't wait until next month when we do it all over again.

the long weekend.

I got to spend last weekend with my friend Charisa and her two beautiful children.  Our husbands had planned a hike in Manning Park so Charisa and the sweet babes came to my house for the weekend. Stewart and Charisa live in the Lower Mainland so the six of us met up in Manning and then I came back to Kelowna with Charisa.

It was a wonderful weekend. Halle is 15 weeks (I think) and it was lovely to have such a little one in the house again. She is precious, adorable and itty bitty. And she smells so so good. And Micah, at almost 2 years old, was bursting with energy. So fun and so cute.

Erik had our little point-and-shoot so I was forced to play with Charisa's amazing camera. I may have taken hundreds of photos in the three days they were here. It doesn't really matter how nice your camera is though, taking pictures of active two-year-olds is a challenge. Mr Micah does not sit still.

I love pictures of Momma's with their kids. I love pictures of kids adoring anyone, but especially photos with their Momma's. My favourite photo of all time is of my SIL and her youngest. The relationship of a mother with her kids is amazing and special and I love both witnessing and capturing it.

We spent our time going for walks, enjoying the last bit of fall, reading, cutting food and re-velcroing it together for Micah. There were cuddles, there was yummy food, there was quiet and there was crying. We laughed, we talked, and we danced with little Halle girl.

This was really the first time Charisa and I had ever hung out. Our previous encounters had never been more than a couple hours at a time -- and only a handful of times at that. I think I counted it to be 11 times we've hung out. One of those times was her wedding so all I did was say hello and give her a hug (I'm a hugger). We've managed to squeeze in visits while we are passing through town. They even came to our place once when they were in town.

I probably should have been a little nervous -- three days with someone you don't know can be a little intimidating. I wasn't though because I had no reason to be. I thoroughly enjoyed having a female roommate for the weekend. I've missed sleepovers (no, Erik does not count). I loved being up late into the night chatting about girly things, or crafting together while we watched Pride and Prejudice. It was just so nice.

We are hoping to make it a bit of a more regular thing. I think we have our husbands on board. At least an annual thing. Any of your hubby's want to join the ranks of hiking husbands?? You're always welcome at my place!