Sweet Valentine dolls for the shop. I wasn’t sure i would be able to pull this off in time but all went smoothly and here they are. pink but not too pink.
Iona & Roza;
Ninochka & Preia;
Godava, Maryusa & Valentina (Maryusa is from the last group of dolls. I ran out of wool stuffing so she was left out. She hasn’t got a felt heart detail but she fits in pretty well here i think);
Orlenda & Kiska;
a little more of Orlenda;
and some pink crowns like this one but not exactly.
It snowed - just a little. We hope to build a snowman if it gets a little colder. i love this photo that little A shot at the cafe yesterday. He’s good no? It helps to have some cute favorite friends to photograph.
My sister is packing and moving homes which is very exciting in many ways and extra specially for me when she arrives with a big garbage bag full of my brand new second hands! ya! Check out the elephant with wings. She added a few more articles to my peacock collection. i didn’t even know i liked that color but my closet is full of it and more so now.
Little A has grown so much in the past month that all his pants and shirts are inches too short. We went on a pant mission a few days ago and scored over on Main at Beansprouts. i even got a free shiatsu gift certificate! They’re having a great sale as is Dandelion Kids on the Drive. i love these shops not only because they carry some hip and stylish modern brands but also because they have a kick ass second hand section where i found numerous Tea items (photo on the right above).
i was trying to save this for my sister’s birthday but after being spoiled with hand me downs i couldn’t hold out. i purchased this from Hine and i’ve got another on order for our own little point and shoot. Oh and she’s local - gotta love that!
It’s Sunday, my day to putter while the boys are out playing. I’ve been far busier than this post reveals…all in time.
We’re taking advantage while the sun doth shine! When asked what was on the day’s adventure agenda yesterday i replied that we were going to dig a very large hole and we did.
Today we met up with friends to do it all over again.
After just a short stop in at home the sun is beckoning us out again…off we go.
Winter has felt long and this week the sun feels sooooooo good. The beach was beautiful this morning/afternoon. Calm waters, sun haze, frosty logs, happy and playful mama with boy. We have been missing these beach ventures while little A’s foot has been healing (not quite there still). We love this tree in all it’s seasons because it is where the gnomes play. In Summer it’s their swimming pool, in Winter we might chance to see them skating. So far we haven’t been so lucky to catch one but we’re hopeful to spy one one day.
How much lighter i feel just taking in some sun, noticing the shift and easy mood with the simple and repetitive task of shoveling and piling.
i realize we have been hermits these past weeks and now i am craving some fun. i’m scheduling more play dates, spending time with mamas who inspire, encouraging Little A to come out of his shell some to connect with the wee folk…
a self portrait “out”
at Little Nest with friends;
These sweet treats were found in the bottom of Little A’s stocking and they were so quick and fun to “bake” that i whipped up a wee batch for our little girlfriend’s 2nd birthday!
December and January birthdays have always caught me off guard and so i am grateful for Lotta’s Simple Sewing projects that i may still give something handmade. For S;
i’m always hesitant to post a WIP because i tend to avoid deadlines and expectations for the sake of it. Anyhow, it was sunny in my kitchen and my camera was out and so was this little pile of dolls intended for a Valentine shop update. i promise no heart, cupid or rose fabrics but there are a lot of funky pinks. This yellow honeycomb headed doll is one unstuffed from the last batch so i will fill her full of wooly goodness and include her with the sweet Valentines.
Here is an example of a doll that has been a WIP for well over a year. i think i ran out of wool so he was tucked away for such a long while. I’m thinking February might be a more realistic time to get back into it. It will feel so good to complete this long and drawn out trade.
We woke to snow lightly falling, becoming nothing more than slush. Though the fevers have subsided(both A’s have been unwell), we weren’t quite ready to be out building snowmen anyhow. i realize so many of January’s photos are indoor shots. This is a direct reflection of our health, not being well enough to venture out too far, too often. The space at home is feeling smaller than ever and i’ve got my fingers crossed that i don’t become run down and take on my own version of the sickies. The craft projects are taking over (his not mine this time) - we’re out of fridge magnets, the kitchen table needs constant clearing and there’s a fort in the living room that he’s grown quite attached to. i can’t keep up with the requests for “really fun and interesting”projects. He digs the projects, craves new games and always wants a playmate. We collaborated on a new pillow for moopy earlier this morning and after that, painting, reading, a short puppet show, pretending to be cats and bears and other animals in the fort and yes Maisy!! (tv ack!), i was just plain out of ideas. A trip to the cafe to save my sanity turned into a bit of a freak out disaster on both our parts and we quickly retreated home. After 5 days in bed, papa has risen and his creative input was a welcome refresher when Little A requested to make a banjo. In the photo, Little A is counting for hide and seek;
Tomorrow we are going out! All there is to it.
it wasn’t so long ago. A week maybe. The little one is running another fever - not too high but pretty constant throughout the day and night. i feel confident in letting a fever do it’s work as long as it’s not a serious illness (pneumonia, meningitis, strep throat). Anthroposophical medicine notes that kids should have at least a few high fevers in their younger years to strengthen their immune system. Cough on the other hand is something i like to resolve quickly and i find that very challenging. We have used so many different remedies in the past and some worked like brilliant charms for our specific symptoms. There really isn’t just one remedy for cough and so we play the game and dance the dance trying to figure out which one will work this time. Of course Little A thinks the one with honey will be the charm every time.
We were finally able to coordinate with Auntie to give her belated Christmas gift. Anja (the doll) and Elizabeth Gilbert’s book which is on my lengthy “to read” list. (Not much in comparison to all that she spoils us with);
We all braved Ikea to make some returns and after much daydreaming i finally checked out the Daiso shop in Richmond. I expected it to be a little more funky and less junky but there were some great $2 treasures to be found;
Paolo! He’s in town from everywhere. He travels, lives and works abroad often. We ran into one another at the downtown library - one i rarely visit but this morning our local branch was closed and all the better for me as i have not seen this guy in years! So great to see this smile, get in a few hugs and a quick update - too quickly interrupted by the little ones urgency to pee. Paolo is such a special person to me, one of those people i love unconditionally any time and place, a true and great friend to get caught up with. In younger years we might have found ourselves ocean side, roaming a park or city side street in the middle of the night, turning left or right or walking straight ahead depending on what was most appealing in the moment. Often wine and good food or coffee was on the agenda and always talk. So much talk and ramblings. He is good.
More goodness came in the mail from our sweet Okanagan friends. Tracey and i have known each other since Kindergarten and after reading my Little A health update to family and friends she sent him this sweet get well package including many of his favorite things and maple candies for me (did you make those?!). The excitement of receiving mail was enough to make him giddy. We’re feeling the love and growing stronger! Thank you!! He loved everything and spent some good hours crafting this cold and cloudy afternoon.
i have collected many a stray and abandoned black umbrella and i have lost equally as many. In the past i found them mostly in movie theaters. In more recent years, patrons of the cafe left them behind never to return searching and they became my own. This is how i acquired my favorite black umbrella which i have been using for well over a year until yesterday… it was a stormy day on Vine Street and the wind turned my umbrella inside out. oh it was a funny sight i’m sure and i did laugh because i always laugh when i see it happening to someone else and it’s never happened to me quite like that before. It seems the storm has blown the clouds over and i won’t be needing an umbrella this morning so i’ve got some time to manifest a new one.
