Seedy

Writing this from a shady motel in Kamloops. Sorry for my mysterious absence! Things have been crazy, to say the least. Last minute holiday craziness, with some work stress thrown in have made for little blogging time.
We are on our way back to Alberta to celebrate the Solstice and Christmas, and then we'll be heading to the Okanogan for New Years, so I'll likely be out of this space for the next couple weeks. But, I'll still be checking other blogs, and reading comments, of course.
I wish you all the merriest of times, and I do hope you all stay warm!
'Til then,
xo

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Soup, biscuits, and salad, holiday style. Prepared by Quinn and mama, with a little help from Teague. To keep our bellies full, and our spirits high.
xo

Wishy

I'm all swept up in holiday busyness right now, but I thought I'd pop in and share some of my etsy favorites, just in case anyone out there needs any ideas... *cough*Keith*cough*

Last Snow This Winter print, by MarmeeCraft

You Can Still Ride Skirt, from TrapperJane

The Market Bag, by Moop

Knitware Vase from alyssaettinger:

Amazing vintage boots that have sold, but I can pine after nonetheless. From RamonaWest.

Last year, I did the majority of my holiday shopping on etsy, and it was lovely. This year, now that Teague is a little bit older, and the slightest bit more independent, I am sewing/ knitting most everything. Nevertheless, it sure is fun to troll around etsy lusting after everything everyone has to offer. It is my number one place to check out new toys... some of the stuff on here is brilliant.

Happy browsing.
xo

Baroness

Thank you all dearly for the birthday wishes. I am so touched! My family and I shared a wonderful day, and I feel so loved.

Even though I have been knitting for over 5 years, up until last week, I had never knit anything for myself. Needing a hat for the winter, I decided to knit myself up a little beret (the Baroness Beret for those on Ravelry) in honour of my birthday.


It was a very quick knit, and I am in love with the results. (Knit with Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton, for those who are curious.)

As it happens, the week of my birthday also coincided with a week of wicked teething for my wee-est lad. Lots of sleepless nights and homeopathy, and we are still recovering. Proper post coming soon, lovelies.

And, thank you, thank you again for the love.
xo

24.

Another year wiser, I am today.
I was lucky enough to celebrate my day twice: with my lovely friends on Sunday, and with my darling family today. Thank you everyone, for everything.


The cake, Lavender Chocolate (from ExtraVeganZa), was divine.
A happy birthday indeed.
xo

Lucky us!

Last weekend we were lucky enough to have a visit with one of my darling sisters, known around these parts as Auntie Heather.

There was much fun had, but I think the highlight for the wee ones was our trip to the aquarium.




Thank you so much for the visit, love! See you over the winter holidays!
xo

Rainy Rain Rain

It has been a rainy couple of weeks around these parts. A sure sign that winter is on its way. While we all like the rain, we certainly have been spending more and more time indoors, which I'm sure was a large factor in us all getting some unpleasant colds this week.
How we've been occupying ourselves:

Games for Q,

puzzles for T,

knitting for mama (combined with some stress as the winter holidays draw near),

And, just for fun, we made some vegan cheese (the Colby Cheese from the Uncheese Cookbook). It is made mostly of cashews and roasted red peppers and is not bad. I mean, certainly isn't going to fool anyone, but we all liked it just fine. We promptly made some grilled cheese sandwiches, which the children had never had before, and were delighted with.

The colds, combined with our wee-est one teething has resulted in some rough nights, and tough days. Lots of sling time and homeopathy for this little one.

I do apologize for the wee absence there, friends. I hope you are all well!
xo

Bookworms, Part 1

We are a family of bookworms. Our house is filled with borrowed books, library books, and stacks upon stacks and shelves upon shelves of our books. I am, admittedly, completely addicted to buying books. Sure, I love the library, but oh how I regret having to give those loaned books back! My love of books is very clearly echoed in Q, who can (and many times has) sit for hours carefully "reading" (he has most of them memorized) every single childrens book we have.

Wee T was a little slower to warm up to them (read: destructive), but has certainly found his favorites.

And a new rhythm has developed for us, during these cool and beautiful autumn days, involving lots of library time, followed by lots of park time. It couldn't be more perfect really.

Unless we find some friends to join in the fun...

Have you read any good books lately?
xo

Organic food

Although I have never actually seen Star Wars (hides under blanket), my husband tells me that this spoof, about the importance of organic food, is quite funny! I hope it brightens your day a little.



xo

Little Things...

... making me happy these days:

Vintage shoes from etsy:

Hot apple cider from the farmers' market:

My littlest babe learning all about baking and chopsticks, two very important things to know in our house:

And fall food. Hot Jamaican patties (a comfort food from my childhood - loosely based on this recipe), and carrot soup (based on this recipe):

All this along with a big, fresh batch of library books all about fall, and I couldn't be more pleased.

What little things are making you happy these days?

xo

Randomly Six

I've been tagged by the darling Becka to reveal 6 random things about myself. Sounds simple enough, right?
Okay. Here goes.

1. I bought an amazing vintage acoustic guitar 4 years ago (when I was pregnant with Quinn), and haven't yet learned a single chord. Or note. Or whatever.

2. I hate being scared, and cannot watch even the tamest of horror movies.

3. I am rediscovering my love of audio books, and desperately trying to instill that love in my babes. Last night? Anne of Green Gables. This morning? The Wind and the Willows. Right now? Little House on the Prairie. So good.

4. The first thing I ever knit was a scarf for Keith that he still wears regularly.

5. I'm a notorious procrastinator, and am late for everything. Including my own wedding. Yep.

6. We are a tv-free household.

and, a bonus 7. I've never yet been stung by a bee/ wasp/ hornet.

The rules:
• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Mention the rules.
• Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
• Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
• Go to each person's blog and leave a comment that lets them know they've been tagged.

If you haven't been tagged yet, then I tag YOU!!!

Have the loveliest day....

When I moved to Vancouver in June, I spent the first month alone with the kids, schlepping them to-and-from the beach, and aimlessly wandering around the neighbourhood. One day I bravely ventured out to a community play center, and happened to meet the most lovely lady, who shared so many of my interests that after the play center closed, I walked an extra 10 blocks out of my way just to keep talking to her. She's vegan, she's compassionate, she's smart, and she's a darn good friend. I feel so lucky to have met her.
Thanks for being delightful, Amber! I truly wish you the happiest of birthdays.
xoxo
P.S. Don't move!

The Cabin. Or, more aptly titled, a photo essay on how I'd like to spend the rest of my life, if you please.

Oh the fire! The river! The trees! The people! Oh autumn! Oh! When can I return?

October 2.

Not too many years ago today, I wore a white dress, said some vows, and shared a kiss. Happy Anniversary, my love.

My gift to him was an embroidery of an image titled "Peace Tree", from The New Crewel. It was my first attempt at embroidery, and, if you can get past the crummy lighting in this picture, it actually turned out quite lovely.

We are off to disappear into the woods for a few days with some friends. Enjoy your weekend, lovelies.
xo

Simpler. Sorta.

Hello, lovelies! Sorry for the wee break there! That was certainly unintentional.

Fall is here, and I could not be more delighted. Oh fall. How I love thee. Jackets have been brought out from storage, hats have been knit, and root veggies have been roasted. All very good things.

(Both of the above jackets were hand-knit by the boys' great-grandma, and belonged to my husband when he was a wee one.)

On a particularly rainy and sleepy day last week, my husband played hookie from work (shh!), and we all took a day to relax and decompress. Or, that was the idea. Rather than slowing down, I simplified, sort of. In an ongoing effort to free ourselves from relying on corporations to feed us, we have taken many steps to simplify our food. We always buy most of our produce from the local market, and always buy organic. To take an extra step, I decided to use my "free" day to cook up some other goods that would have otherwise been purchased. I whipped up these crackers (yum!), jars upon jars of jam (from the blackberries picked a few weeks ago... I used this recipe), and fig newtons.

The fig newtons were a real treat. They are Quinn's favorite cookie (really, the only cookie he knows...). They were a little labour-intensive, but surely worth it. The recipe is from Vegan With A Vengeance.

Another treat is the little Italian shop we have a few blocks away that sells vegan ravioli! Goodness. I love ravioli, and theirs is just fantastic. They sell 3 kinds: butternut squash, mushroom, and spinach, and all three are just lovely. I whipped up some homemade pesto, and a fresh salad, and dinner was served!


We had a fantastic weekend, attending a vegan pie party (oh yes. I have some good friends.), and the Taste of Health. I also threw together this hat for Quinn at the last minute. It didn't turn out quite as charming as the photo in the book, but I kind of love it anyways. It has a sweet pilgrim feel to it. And the hot air balloon ribbon just makes me smile.


I hope you all are doing well and keeping cozy!

xo

Happiness is...

Takeout.

Pancakes for supper.
(Pancakes are the basic recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance)

Yummy food.
(So many thanks to Monika K. for letting me in on this cucumber salad recipe. So so delightful.)

Keith's old record player, and my old record now being enjoyed in the boys' bedroom.

And some afternoon music, on our new-to-us couch.

Some other things that are bringing me happiness these days...
- dreaming about new shoes, particularly these, these, and these, even though I clearly need no more shoes... it is so fun to pretend that they will magically fall into my lap...
- fall! in all it's beautiful, warm glory (particularly all the good fall produce at the farmer's market. yes, fall truly is my favorite time of year.)
- maybe these shoes too...
- listening to Julie Doiron's Heart and Crime album, especially the song Wintermitts, which I want to sit and listen to over and over again
- Julie & Julia, which is quite possibly the most not-vegan book ever written, but is entertaining me nonetheless
- finally finishing my business website, and patiently awaiting clients...

I hope you're all enjoying some happiness right now as well!
xo

The Longest Weekend

The Labour Day Weekend was a couple weeks ago, and we enjoyed our 3 days together as best we could. It was a very eventful weekend, filled with friends and fun.

Sunday was our busiest day, beginning with our weekly trip to the local market, then to a second handmade market, and then on to a spectacular concert. The concert was certainly the highlight of the day, shared with good friends.
The evening was chilly, and the yarn and knitting was a comfort.
Rebekah knits, and Richard winds a ball.
Socks in progress, and some reading material, for in-between sets.
Keeping warm with cuddles and dance.
We are not big car users, usually reserving our car usage for the weekend, but this weekend we stuck to our bicycles. Not being a long-distance bicycler, I was amazed to learn that we had biked 31 km in one day! We were sure worn out by nightfall, as were our wee ones.

The next day we met up with a small group of lovelies to pick blackberries. I am so lucky to live nearby bushes and bushes of these sweet treats!
Our bounty at the end of the day was great, and my berries are resting in my freezer, just waiting to become jam.

Thank you for the company, friends!
xo