And all the rest.

Firstly, thank you, thank you all for your kind congratulations! They truly warmed my heart.

Secondly, I think I need to share all the "creating" that's been going on that has nothing to do with the wee babe in my womb.


I have been quiet this past month (month! it has felt like just a few days!), because my hands have been very, very busy. My hands are generally pretty busy anyways, caring for the littles, keeping house, and baking (um, this book has been so dangerous. my kids now think that making cookies every single day is totally normal. ahem.). But, this past month, or so, I've been busy getting ready for the holiday season. I can't show too much, as some of my gift recipients (okay, just my sisters), check the blog on occasion, but here's a little sneak peek.

Oh yes, the season of gift-giving is here.

xo

Part 5, Creating

The last 8 months have been a whirl of creating. I have knit myself sweaters, knit shawls for auctions, sewed up birthday gifts for littles, and done a whole lot of other creating that I don't even recall. (Hop on over to Ravelry if you're keen to take a peek! I'm 'thelittlemama'... creative, right?)

But. I must confess. I have been creating a something very special for the past few months that I have been very excited to share with you.
In just over 3 months (think late Feb/ early March), we will have a brand new, sweet-smelling, woolen-clad babe in our midst.
We're all so very excited!
(And, while we're on the subject of creating, I did knit the hat and scarf. Ha!)

xo

Parts 3 and 4, Guests and Playing

The first few months back in our home, we found ourselves with a nearly constant stream of visitors, which we welcomed.

Friends brought laughter, peace, and much-missed company.

Family from the east coast brought weekend getaways, late night chatting, and plenty of energy.

My brother-in-law and his band, who camped out in our yard, brought a whole lot of fun, and the kids especially were so sad to see them go.

My in-laws, who were out a few times, and are due again at the end of the month, are always a huge help, and a treat for the kids to have around.
I've combined these two parts, guests and playing, because they have been so rooted together over the past few months. Since summer has ended, we've settled into a bit more of a routine, and play is certainly still a focus of every day, but it's never quite the same as when our home is bursting with the energy of beloved guests.

Part 2, Camping

It seems so funny to be writing about camping trips that we went on 4 or 5 months ago! Now that the weather has turned cool, and we've already had quite a few snowfalls, camping seems to be the last thing on my mind. But, when the weather was warmer (though not always warm enough!), and the days were longer, a-camping we did go.

On more than one occasion, we drove through the prairies, found a nice spot in the woods to call our own (for a few days, at least), and spent time with friends and family. And it was perfectly lovely.

Early summer camping means enjoying two things:

*friends*

*and warmth*

And there was plenty of both to go around.

xo

Happy Halloween!

I hope you all enjoy spoooky nights! (Or enjoy the unbelievably adorable small children dressed as bees/ skunks/ gnomes/ insert-insanely-cute-costume-here.)

Be back with a real post tomorrow.
xo

Where the time has gone: Part 1, Nesting

Um. Hi there, friends. (cautiously crawls out of blog-hole)

It's been a while. Too long. I hope you all enjoyed your summers (or winters, as it may be), and are settling nicely into the rhythm of autumn (or, um, spring).

We've had a busy few months. A steady flow of nesting, camping, guests, playing, and creating has sufficiently taken up all our time and energy. (All that, coupled with a very busy papa, who has had to spend a great deal of his spare moments working.)

I'll cover each of the areas that have been keeping us so occupied over the next few posts. Today is nesting.


Moving is always such work. Moving into a house you've lived in before is an entirely different experience. It was like we got a second chance to make this house what we wanted it to be. This house is by no means our dream house, but we've grown so much in the year since we left it, that we came back inspired to make it our own. Dead trees have been removed (and firewood has been stacked accordingly), walls have been painted, and parts of Vancouver (like the couch above) have been brought back with us.

We're still trying to sort things out; sure, none of our windows have curtains, and we have a basement full of boxes that are waiting to have their contents re-discovered, but, for now, I'm happy with where we are.

Aaand...

...we're all here. Back. We have moved back into our house, and finally have internet again. (For those who are wondering what the heck has been going on, and why we've moved so much... we own a house that we rented out when we were in Vancouver. When we left Vancouver, and came back home, we had to wait for our tenants to move out -- they were kind of jerky, and refused to leave early -- we were living in a teeny tiny apartment. But, now we are back in the house that we have had since before Quinn was born. It feels good. And weird.)

This means that I can also finally get photos onto the computer again. Hurrah! But, give me a few days, will you? We've been working our patooties off (with much-needed -- and appreciated -- help from my in-laws) painting, gardening, unpacking, etc-ing.

It finally feels like summer, so we're all off for a bike ride to partake in some Mexican food. Enjoy the day, lovelies! I'll be back this weekend with more.

xo

Amazing awesomeness.

Hello friends. I know I am supposed to be on a moving break, but nonetheless I had to poke around a bit here. You may notice that the blog has a bit of a new look! It's not completely finished it's wee overhaul yet, but I've added a list of books and music that we are currently obsessing over, so take a peek! We've been practically living at the library lately. When we're not there, we're at home reserving books online. Loveliness.

Other things:
- Q has started soccer for the first time, and it is really entertaining and adorable.
- Our house in Vancouver finally sold, and the new owners took possession last week. Hallelujah!
- We've started this year's gardening adventure, and have so far planted pole beans, green beans, shell peas, snow peas, rhubarb, two kinds of tomatoes, and mint. Unfortunately our tenants are still living in our house, and we are still in the cave-like apartment, so all our gardening is, for now, being done on the tiny tiny balcony.
- On that note, the tenants are finally moving out in precisely two weeks. Hurrah.
- Also, gardening-related, it looks like spring is taking it's sweet-ass time this year. It snowed last week, and the forecast is calling for snow twice this week. I am not impressed. The snow doesn't stick, and is usually surrounded by days of 17 degree weather, but seriously. Spring and I need to have a talk.
- I've started the popular baking soda/ apple cider vinegar routine instead of shampooing. I only wash my hair once every couple weeks anyways, and so far it's been good! I also bought the ingredients yesterday to make Angry Chicken's famous deodorant. I'll probably make it tonight or tomorrow and keep you posted on the results.

Okay. A friend and I are doing a bit of thrifting today, and then the family and I are off to meet the newest member of a dear friend's family. Welcome baby Owen!

I hope you are all enjoying your (long) weekend!
xo

Shameless Plug.

Many of you are familiar with my lovely friend, the beautiful, clever, and talented Becka, of Bliss in a Teacup. She and her husband (whose loveliness I can also attest to) have just opened a charming etsy shop full of goodness.

Here are just a few of their treats...

Writing Slate, Politeness Edition

Embroidery Hoop Chalkboard

Spring Blossom Earrings

Head on over and treat yourself to a little gift!
xo

For the mamas

Just popping in to wish all the lovely, hardworking, devoted mothers out there a wonderful, love-filled day.

My mama and me, a good many years ago.

Mothers' Day Proclamation: Julia Ward Howe, Boston, 1870

Mother's Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost their
sons. Here is the original Mother's Day Proclamation from 1870, followed by a bit of history (or should I say "herstory"):

......................................

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by
irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking
with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be
taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach
them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice."

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons
of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a
great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each
bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a
general congress of women without limit of nationality may be
appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at
the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the
alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of
peace.

Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870
From peace.ca

xo

Taking a break

Hello friends.

I'm going to take a bit of a break here, to wrap up a few things (it looks like our house finally sold! yay!), but I'll be back in about a month.

I hope to see you then!

xo

Spring back.

Hello, friends!

Still no new pictures (only a month or so left, I promise!), so for the next little while I'm going to focus on last year. Photos that never made it on the blog, because, well, I didn't have this blog.

So. Here goes.

From last April. We had sushi in the backyard on papa's lunch break. We played in the grass, drew on the sidewalk, and cuddled. A good day.



Here's hoping the weather takes a turn for the better soon.

xo

Happy Spring!

Image courtesy of oldesaltbox.etsy.com

Enjoy the long weekend, friends! Unfortunately, all our weekend plans have been put on hold as we tend to a very pukey little boy (too much information?).
Nonetheless, we are enjoying the beginnings of what I'm sure will prove to be a lovely summer. Last night was the first thunderstorm of the season. What fun!
Alright, I'm off to cuddle with my sicky boy.
Enjoy your long weekend!
xo

Awaiting Spring

Happy April friends! I hope wherever you are, tulips are blooming and birds are singing and trees are blooming. (With the exception, of course, of our friends in the Southern hemisphere, where I hope the warm blanket of fall is softly falling upon you.)

As for us, our grounds are still, for the most part, covered with snow, which is slowly melting to reveal brown, dry grass. (For those of you wondering, we have landed in Alberta, Canada.) I am impatiently awaiting the day when I see blossoms on trees, and green in the grass. Soon, please. Soon.

'Til then I can fight the fatigue that's been nagging me as of late, and prepare the boys' Spring baskets. We are by no means a religious family, but I cannot help but partake in the loveliness of 'Easter' baskets. I had high hopes for knitting up treats like this for our littlest, but seeing as I haven't even ordered the yarn yet, it seems unlikely to come to fruition. But, ah, I will welcome the long weekend nonetheless.

I am feeling a bit rambley, so bear with me. On my mind these days:

- wishing our house in Vancouver would sell (please!)
- loving Quinn's new obsession with Beatrix Potter
- regretting not packing our camera-charger (yup. boo.)
- planning a garden with my littles
- thinking about cookies. butter cookies. with frosting. sandwiched with raspberry jam.

I just re-read Jane Eyre, and fell in love again. Such a great book. That Mr. Rochester is such a character!
Have you a favorite book that you can read and re-read again and again?

Okay. Enough incoherent rambling from me. You will note that I have no new pictures. Yes, it looks as though I cannot put them on the laptop, so we will have to wait until the end of May, when we move into our permanent residence.

'Til next time, lovelies.
xo

Landed.

We have arrived. The weekend we got here, the temperatures were a cool -30 C. Yeah. The weather has improved since, but there is still heaps of snow, and the temperatures are still hovering just below zero, with a warmish day now and again to taunt us, and coax us out of doors. In fact, on a trip to the library last week on one of the aforementioned warm days, Little Q was frolicking through puddles, when he slipped on a patch of ice, well concealed beneath the murky water, and dove face-first right into the puddle, soaking himself through. The next day, the puddle had entirely frozen over again.

We are staying in a temporary home right now with nearly all of our belongings packed away in a storage facility (in another city), which is proving to be an interesting adventure.

Since I have not yet figured out how to load pictures from our camera onto the laptop (it's been a month, I should really figure this out), I will instead share with you a few of my (recent) favorite internet finds. Just for fun, and to take my mind off the teeny shoebox we are sleeping in, wherein we can hear both our neighbours partying to the right of us, and quarreling to the left.

Let's begin, shall we?

These adorable mary janes were such a steal, I couldn't help but scoop them up (virtually, of course).

Photo courtesy of Nerdy Bird Vintage

I have been wishing and hoping for this print for some time. Perhaps I will treat myself when we move into our permanent residence.

Image courtesy of Jen Skelley

With all our belongings stored away, the kids were beginning to get restless. A quick order was placed, and we just received a lovely, and much-needed package full of art supplies from a most wonderful shop. We already have some of their goodies (the rock crayons are a favorite), but it is of my opinion that the more art supplies one has, the better! (Not to mention that our beloved rock crayons, among every other colouring item, are in boxes.) Amidst a few other lovelies, we got some paints, and brushes.

Images courtesy of Stubby Pencil Studio

And, lastly, a happy thought to leave you with, and a print that will surely be gracing my walls in the near future.

Image courtesy of dazeychic

Enjoy the last few days of March, and Happy Spring, my friends!
xo

Off and away and away and away. Together.*

We are off to become buried beneath boxes and airplanes, and rental cars and take-out dinners. I hope to reconnect with you all next week, as we settle in, and adjust to the much colder temperatures of our new abode.

'Til then.

xo

*A line from one of our favorite books, The Little Yellow Leaf

Owls

Late nights have become all too common around these parts lately.

At 10:30 pm this week I've been:

Serving up peanut butter toast for a certain counter-seated customer who has been fighting sleep tooth and nail as of late.

and..

Sharing a rather small bed with a nursling for the good part of an hour, in the vain hopes of him drifting off into dreamland.


The view from his bed. In just a few hours, I will be woken by the sound of his little feet bounding into our room, anxious for a snuggle and another nurse.

Here's hoping your nights are full of as much love.

xo

We are.

Waiting.

Healing.

Hoping.

Giving.

Playing.

Savouring.

Planning.

Loving.

And you?

xo

Vio-lin-lin-lin

I've been tagged by the most lovely Becka to play along in a little photo game. The idea is to open the sixth photo, in the sixth folder in your computer, blog about it, and tag six others.

Here's my photo. Taken April 2005, in the wee rental house that Keith and I shared before the lads came along.
This particular photo, if I remember correctly, happened one evening after a family dinner at my dad's house. My sisters had come over, and we somehow convinced Keith to pull out his violin and show us his skills. Pictured below is my sister, Janet, and Keith. Keith's "skills" were a little (a lot) rusty, but fun was had.


A few more photos from the same evening, just for fun (and because I love the muted colouring on these photos, taken with my grandpa's old 35mm).

Ah, some good brother-in-law love from my two favorite gals.

I tag Monika, Michelle, Amber, Eva, Alanna, and Melissa.

xo

Love.

Monday morning, I slept in until after 10, and was gently woken with pancakes and a hug. From my love. What a lucky gal I am. He's quite a guy.

That photo below? That's him. And, just so you can all get to know him a little more, here's an interview he recently did about an old skateboard video he was in.

Photo courtesy of Sandro Grison

Swoon.
xo

Peace. Well, almost.

Quiet. Serene. Peaceful. These are the words that describe my littlest. But, only when he's asleep.
This photo was taken during naptime on Monday morning. So beautiful, and so calm.

Less than three hours after this photo was taken, a very awake little T, in a botched attempt to rodeo the dog, fell head-first into the couch, splitting his forehead. After a 4-hour wait in the ER at the children's hospital, he is patched up, and unfazed. Actually, he was back to his normal, giggling, daredevil self minutes after it happened, while a very frantic mama raced around trying to hold a wet cloth over his gaping wound. Luckily his papa, as it happens, turned out to be very skilled with butterfly bandages, and our wee-est didn't need stitches, just some good old fashioned... glue. And a giant bandage that has to stay on until tomorrow, and then we can take it off and reveal his scar. The first of many, I'm sure. What a character.

Settling in

We made our way back home a couple of weeks ago, and have been settling back into a rhythm. We also came back to the news that the new year will present us with yet another move (that's 4 moves in 5 years!). We'll take it in stride, and try to remain calm!

A few moments from the first day of our holiday journey.




That will have to do for now... off for tea and a good game of Go Fish with one of my loves.
xo