Little A is really enjoying the beach play this summer. He loves to roll in the warm sand and prefers these sun warmed puddles over the cooler waves. We’re so happy to have our friends home from Switzerland!! (We’ll see you guys in passing in another week and hopefully get to celebrate our babes birthdays together in some way).

gifts for new baby girls; Savannah Sky

and Hillary

The sun has been peaking out here and there today so we took our chances and headed out to Westham Island to pick some berries. So delicious! and seemingly just in time - i hear thunder (i wonder if this storm will stir a little Hillary into the world?). i love returning to Emma Lea’s for berry picking each year. Call me nostalgic but i don’t think i’ll ever forget that i came here to berry pick in the very early stage of pre- labor, feeling mild contractions as i squatted here and there…i didn’t pick for long and nothing progressed till the next morning…yadda yadda here we are 3 years later picking berries;

Days have been full and we have been visiting with various friends before we get ready for a week long visit in the Okanagan where it is full on cherry season! This may or may not be the last post for the next week+.

Little A had his last swim class in Parent&Tot and he’s moving along to Starfish. I can hardly believe that he can nearly swim alone (and that soon i will get to knit or stitch while he’s in class). We have been swimming here since little A was 7months. The classes have been quite amazing and if it weren’t so heavily chlorinated i would rave some more about it.

We joined our friend and neighbor in search of tomato plants which we found along with basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, strawberries and shiso!!! mmmmm. There has been little need to water as the rain has returned. Our front steps are looking green.

and on a crafty note; Heather Ross West Hill fabrics are out and everywhere and mine have been ordered!!

Happy Summer Solstice everyone. We are feeling the heat! We have some beach play to catch up on so i’ll say very little and share some recent photos.

leaping & bounding at Trout Lake with friends;

Nature’s A is for Arlo;

blue sky morning;

It’s early. i like to get up, have my decaf and catch up with emails and blogland in the wee hours. i haven’t peeked outside yet but there is a faint glow beyond the blinds and i do believe there has been a change in weather!! Finally! it’s been soggy and wet and nearly more than i can bare for summer time despite how green the gardens grow. Much of the weekend was spent indoors with books, paints, puppets, playdough…..other than a quick before bed visit to the duck pond;

No Father’s Day photos to post here. It’s funny how these special days in honoring the parents are really not about what the parent wants at all when the littles are so little. Little A was so excited to deliver breakfast treats in bed…who could resist such a lovely very early wakeup? “papa do you want to play hide and seek with me?”

Happy Birthday to our little Okanagan friend Lucas!!! i know we missed the party but i hope his little goodies (bunting below) arrived in time for his bday today.

In spirit of the cooler Spring weather we’ve been having there are Big&Little scarves in the shop;

The urban chicks have grown on me especially toned down with the cotton linen.

We’re off to a first dentist appointment later this morning. Wish us luck and little trauma!

blah! That’s my word of the day so far. i’m ready to feel the warmth of summer and rain is predicted for yet another weekend. The new farmer’s market i was so excited about for which i rushed through making my new tote  actually begins NEXT month. Oops! Little A and i ventured to the library and book store this morning where he had a full out tantrum; kicking, screaming, crying, yelling…hanging off my body to carry him when i was already overloaded with pack, library bag full of books, umbrella and pull toy which he had long given up pulling. It was an awful scene. Should i have dropped everything to cater to his needs? Was i a big meanie to say “yes you can walk”? Seriously it wasn’t far even for little legs but how i wish i had packed along my ergo carrier and some snacks to prevent this. In retrospect i realize that his blood sugar was low. This boy was in need of some slow burning protein to curb the mood swing. Feeding my toddler has been full of challenging phases and recently he’s preferring sweet things. i’m all for eating the berries and fruits while they’re in season but how do i balance the fructose? The snack plate has been working well for us;

This is apparently an exciting new way to eat for a picky eater….little bits of this and that. The yogurt raisins and banana chips seem to always disappear before the cucumber and carrots but he comes back between playtimes to snack it all away. This seriously saves me from trying to prepare what always seems to be the wrong thing and sometimes i can get him to try new things when it’s just a wee bit mixed with other things he likes. What makes this work is that the plate stays on the table and what’s left is the option for when he’s feeling snacky again. Sooooo who has some never fail healthy snacks they’d like to share? i’m especially open and in need of protein tips.

i am thrilled that a fantastic new farmer’s market has started up in my hood! Inspired by many markets and several fellow crafters i have hopped on the tote making, bag saving bandwagon. Woowee! Actually i think the photo of my tote makes it look far better made than it actually is. i was so anxious to get it done in time for this weekend’s market that i jumped the gun without thinking a pattern through resulting in many mistakes. Initially, i thought “how hard could it be?” and planned to make an even more simple unlined tote and then lining appealed to me but i wasn’t really sure how to do it and the result was quite messy. i’m a little embarrassed to say that i ended up HANDSTITCHING that silly tote together. Mushrooms and pears? A bit of an odd combo but i wanted to use food fabrics; the mushrooms, which i love, were new (from Anna for my bday) and i’ve had those pears awhile now….the combo is growing on me. The fabrics are definitely what make the making so fun despite the mistakes. oh and check out all my new fabrics. i have been stockpiling!

In spirit of markets i am also feeling the need for an adult size dress like this and this to style with my tote. Definitey not a project for this week.

A shop update; i just might do so in the next couple weeks if my fabrics and tote trend continue to inspire me. Also in spite of sun shining it seems that scarves are a go. i love to make them so there will be more in the shop soon.

Papabear has returned (yay!) from a trip to Seattle & Portland (which is why i have new fabrics!!)

The rotary blade beckons……

Strange day of rain and sun. That sounds just about right for berry season which i am so looking forward to. It looks like we’ll be heading out to Westham Island in another week to pick strawberries!! They’re a week or more behind because of the cooler weather but i’m patient if it means plumper fruits. i haven’t been taking many photos in the rain so here’s some photos of last years berries;

Some more recent beach fun with friends;

oh and look what’s coming soon from Heather Ross! i’m so excited!!

And here’s something fun to check out; my sister’s first editorial - she rocks!

Television. it all started here 1 year ago;

little A has been watching some shows that we have uploaded onto the computer despite my true dislike of the idea and despite my strong feelings against it. I too have been watching more tv in the past couple years than i ever have in my entire life. i am somewhat addicted to certain shows as opposed to watching only movies and Northern Exposure. Little by little we are each caught up in our shows. For him it started with watching Glenn Gould playing the piano, then he moved onto the 2 minute song intro of Curious George and then 1 day i missed my cue and he realized there was more to it. Now there’s Charlie and Lola, the Cat in the Hat, Maurice Sendak’s Night Kitchen and Maisy which he loves!! and i cringe. i used to sit with him when he watched something new because i really wanted to know what was influencing him but then eventually i chose to take advantage of my free time and have a bath(woowee!) and this became a morning ritual. He also would eat more food if he was watching something. ACK! Did i really start that?! What a horrible lazy habit to instill. The guilt!!! He mostly enjoys it but sometimes he’ll get overwhelmed and will cry if he’s watched “too much” and then i feel soooo guilty. In March we went away to Quebec and spent some time on my uncle’s farm without tv! After that trip he was over the ritual and onto more creative play. Whew! and then how it happened again i’m not sure but in the past week he has been requesting Maisy nearly every day and choosing to watch it over playing outside. This is shocking for me especially with all the sunshine and gorgeous weather we’ve been having. Once he’s out he’s happy to explore but leaving home has been challenging.

This morning i planned to leave early after breakfast and be outside whatever the weather and it felt so good. Of course it was much more fun to be out with friends. i hope to continue this early morning adventuring throughout the summer;

It seems the trend is have a birthday have a date. We need more birthdays. This time it was Alistair’s and we ate at West where i had the smoothest most amazing glass of a French chardonnay of which the name i can’t remember because i’m often like that with names. Alistair will remember but he’s not here for me to ask. We like to eat well, presentation excites us and we like to take pictures of our food.

She drank Chardonnay, he ate beef;

The air is sweet with summer and we wandered home after our early dinner…

…to find clear directions home and then this;

Little A and Sandra always have great fun.

Some photos from Bjork last week at Deer Lake Park; i won’t say much for the opening band but Bjork rocked and little A loved her too. He headed right up front for a better view with Auntie (she’s so cool!).

After the Children’s Festival last week and after the need to leave a show early due to overwhelmed little ears it was recommended by a friend to buy some ear muffs before the bigger and louder concert. He wore them all the way home in the car pretending to be the weed eater man but when it came time to protect his ears forget it! In the last photo above you can see me holding my hand over his ear. Here he is today listening and not listening to cars driving by;