Knitting In The North

Birthday Boy

 

 

Although Liam turned three last week, we celebrated the big 3 today with him, and a few of our family friends.  I really love having a theme for parties, so when I discovered an Eric Carle Birthday Party kit a month or so ago I knew that was it.  Liam LOVES Eric Carle books, and one of his favourite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, so that is what we went with.

 

 

The kit came with paper hats, a cardboard birthday banner, as well as goodie bags and stickers.  It also had a book filled with ideas for a themed party, that were all too complicated for me to deal with.  We had a do-it-yourself helium balloon kit, and Katie obliged us with custom artwork for each one.  I planned a couple of simple crafts, but we ended up just playing and visiting, although Katie did also offer her facepainting services.

 

 

 

I baked cupcakes last night, and this morning Stuart helped me quickly decorate them before our guests arrived.  The sun shone, we played outside, everyone was happy.  And most important - the birthday boy felt loved and special (and even tried out his new run bike).  I suppose that's what it's all about, right?

 

 

360

 

 

Life, again, has become crazy busy.  I seem to be saying this a lot lately, don't I?  Since I've missed even the weekly yarn along in the last two weeks, I thought I'd write a quick update - a 360 degree view of life right now.

• Schoolwork is occupying every spare moment I have right now.  I believe I may have been a tad ambitious when I signed up for three distance courses over the summer semester.  I'm keeping up, but I feel the dread of falling behind looming.  I hate that.  The schoolwork is good, though.  You can tell you're meant to work in a library when you find an Intro to Libraries course fascinating...

 

• Stuart has been riding the bike we bought him for his last birthday. Now that we're all on wheels, we've been riding to a local park a few times a week, as a family.  It's great to get us all outside together, and it's really been helping me build my confidence on the scary bicycle.

 

• This week, I officially managed my first "truck-free" day.  As in, I rode my bike (with Liam in the trailer) where I needed to go, instead of driving.  Not that I just stayed home all day.  (Although that would be nice...)

 

• Liam turned three this week.  He's suddenly turned into a preschooler - it's crazy.  Overnight, he's started doing things like cutting with scissors, drawing and painting actual pictures, arguing with his mom, and reciting the alphabet and numbers.  His party is this Sunday - I'm planning a Very Hungry Caterpillar party, since it's one of his favourite books.

 

• Having no babies in the house is something different for me!  This morning, my nephew & his mom came for a visit.  He's nine months old, and so busy.  Funny how a house becomes not child-proof so quickly.  But I really love being able to get rid of so many things that we've always kept "for the next one".

 

• Flowers that are pink and yellow at the same time are my favourite.  The dahlia (above) was at the grocery store the other day, and leaped into my cart when I wasn't looking.  It makes me very happy.  Sometimes I find snapdragons this colour, too.  They're even better, because I can make the dragon roar, which makes Liam laugh.

 

• Katie was honoured at her school award ceremony last night, with a Principal's list academic award.  That means she got all A's (and one B) this year, which is huge for her first year of high school.

 

• A guy I work with is directing a performance of "As You Like It".  I'm going to get tickets tomorrow, and Stuart & I are going to have an actual date night.  Not just shopping at Costco kid-free, which is our usual date night.

 

• Brian is turning into an electronic whiz.  He went to a garage sale last weekend with $5, and came home with a TV, an adding machine and a broken DVD player.  He's been having lots of fun taking things apart.

 

• I was knitting Citron with some Noro Sekku that I bought in a fit of needing something yellow.  Then, I saw the pattern Echo Beach, and had to rip out my Citron to cast on for that, instead.  It's slowly, slowly coming along, but the colour changes keep me entertained.

 

• Gwenyth is almost finished Kindergarten!  She still loves it, but thinks it's a lot of work.

 

• I went to my first library conference this week.  My library was holding it, so I got to spend a day in workshops, and I thought it was awesome!  So many exciting things to learn about, and I was introduced to the comic strip Unshelved.  Very funny, even for those strange people who don't think the library is the best thing since sliced bread.

 

• I'm still working on Liam's blue sweater, although not as quickly as he would like.  He gets very annoyed with me when he catches me working on Echo Beach, and says, "That's not my blue sweater!" in a very threatening and meaninful voice.  I'm so lucky to have such an observant child.

 

Wow, I had even more to say than I thought I did!  Did you manage to read all of that?  What's going on in your world these days?

 

A Place

 

 

I went for a walk the other day with a good friend, and we realized as we were talking that we've been walking together on the same path in the same spot for the last 14 years.  For someone who had made about a dozen moves by the time I was a teenager, it's a little shocking to me that I've been in one place, geographically at least, for so long.  Even more strange to me is that my children have lived in this one community their whole lives - three of them have lived their whole lives in this one house!

 

Sometimes I forget that my children don't automatically absorb everything I know, all my memories and experiences by osmosis.  When I talk about moving house when I was a child, they look at me a little confused - they have nothing to compare that to.  (And Liam is convinced, to my utter horror, that eggs come from Costco, not chickens.  Sigh - we need to get some backyard chickens.  Badly.)

 

 

There is something special, though, about having a place of your own.  A spot.  When I walk my path along the river, I feel grounded.  I am mentally clear, refreshed, peaceful.  This is Liam's spot - it has been since he was a baby. 

 

This morning, he was owly and a bit fussy with me.  All on his own, he disappeared to his spot, and it gave him just what my spot gives me - he came out from behind the curtain happy, settled, and relaxed.  And thankfully, not so fussy anymore.

 

What about you?  Do you have a place of your own?

Spring Goodness

 

 

Spring seems to have finally arrived here, although snow still lingers here and there, and is likely to show it's face again before the season is out.  Although nothing is blooming yet outside for me, I picked up some lovely yellow tulips to brighten my table.  It's amazing how fresh flowers can improve the feeling of a room.

 

 

 

The other day at the grocery store, I found cases of mangoes on sale, and so I spent my Sunday afternoon chopping and preparing while I mixed up a batch of mango chutney.  It's a favourite in my family, which means I need to start making double batches - out of the four jars that came out of the canner, only one gets to stay with us!  I'm glad everyone loves it so, though.  I couldn't lay my hands on my own recipe yesterday, so I used this one, which is pretty close.  I left the mango chunks bigger this time, because I think it looks prettier in the jar.  This might be kind of silly, since it doesn't seem to stay in the jar very long, but I don't care.

 

I used the last of my regular snap canning lids, and so now plan to try some of these reusable canning lids.  It's bugged me for years that I can't reuse my lids, and I hope these are going to work amazingly well.   Have you tried them?  I'm excited about the lack of waste, but I think I'm going to miss that delicious popping sound as the jars seal.  It's so satisfying...

Questions About Yarn...

 

 

 

This incredibly beautiful yarn (Malabrigo Aquarella) was a Christmas gift from Stuart.  I had seen it in the yarn store, and was completely taken with the colours and texture... but I couldn't possibly justify purchasing it.  Not only did I not need it, I didn't even want to knit it!  He sweetly went on down and picked it up for me, and I confess I almost cried when I opened the bag.  I kind of knew what was in it, but the sight of it brings me close to tears whenever I take a real look at it.

 

This got me to wondering... what is it about yarn that I love so much?  I will admit to having a fair sized stash.  Just this morning I was rummaging around in it for something, and was taken aback just a tad - not only at how much I have stored there, but also how many have already had projects assigned to them, and are just waiting for me to knit them up.  What on earth am I doing dreaming about new yarn, when there is so much possibility right there?

 

We've all heard, I'm sure, people talk about the potential for creativity, the excitement of dreaming and planning a new project, the rush of acquisition.  But I've been wondering about the artistic side of yarn, as well.  I have heard somewhere, fairly recently, that art is only art if it is not functional.  If the object has a purpose, then it can not be art.  I don't agree with that statement, but I started thinking about what in my home I consider art.  We have a favourite print hanging on the wall in our living room, done by a local artist.  That's definitely art.  And a batik from Mexico hanging over the fire place?  Art.  But what about my lovely bowl of yarn?  Would that qualify as art?  It has a function, but is not at this particular moment in time fulfilling that function.  Is that sad?  Is that good?  Is it selfish to keep my beautiful yarn sitting in a bowl, instead of knitting it up into something practical?  Am I celebrating the beauty of the raw material by displaying it, and stopping every now and then to appreciate it? 

 

I think it's art - and I suppose, at the end of the day, that's all that matters anyway.

 

Rest

 

 

 

 

 

For the past few years, I've been joining Ali Edwards as she chooses One Little Word to have as a companion for the year.  My word for 2010, Simplify, stayed with me right up to the end of December, and it wasn't really until recently that I felt like I was truly walking with this idea as my focus.   

 

Life is busy, and there has been lots going on which made this year feel very different than the way I thought it would feel.  When I chose the word Simplify, I envisioned a life somewhat like the ones I see in blogs out there - something like what I see over at SouleMama's, for example.  What I got instead was my own reality, and although it took me a little while to see it, my own reality is a beautiful and special thing.  Once I saw that, I could begin to blend the idea and attitude of simplifying into the life that I have.

 

As I look into the year ahead, I see space and opportunity that wouldn't have been there without my goal to simplify.  I thought, as I was planning and searching for my word for 2011, that it would be Create that would  accompany me into this new space.  That Create would fill that space that had been made, would give it purpose.  Then suddenly, the word Rest came to mind. I read an online devotional which had this Bible verse at the top:

 

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest.  [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]  Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle [meek] and humble [lowly] in heart, and you will find rest [relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet] for your souls."  Matthew 11:28-29

 

If you've ever had anything to do with the church you've likely heard this before, and I have heard this particular passage so many times, I had started to skip right past it, you know?  When I read this, though, something about the expansion of the word "rest" (this particular version is the Amplified Bible) spoke to me in such a deep and meaningful way, I still can't put it into words.  When I read that list: relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet, it brings tears to my eyes, I feel it hit me in the chest.  And that, friends, is what I want for this year.  What I need in this space.  Rest.  Just Rest.

 

 

Putting It Off

I've been putting off writing a post, because there was just so much to say, I didn't know where to start.  And life has been a whirl of activity since we came home, so ordered thoughts have been somewhat few & far between.  I decided to give you a quick run-down of the whole adventure, and then pick up where I am today.  I will likely pop back to the trip a time or two, to share about some adventures, but the when will just have to be a surprise.

 

 

• The girls, Liam & I flew to Winnipeg on our own, to hang with my mom for a few days.  It was a really nice time, although the day of traveling was long.  I don't enjoy flying very much, and the descending was hard on both Gwenyth's & Liam's ears.  Soooo good to see my mom waiting for us at the airport, though!

 

• Stuart collected Brian from summer camp, and the two of them headed east together.  They stayed a night with Stu's sister, and another on the road, before arriving in Winnipeg safe & sound.

 

• My aunt's funeral went well.  The service was lovely, although naturally sad.  All but one of my mom's siblings made it, which meant I had 9 aunts & uncles, as well as various cousins, second-cousins and in-laws to catch up with. 

 

• My cousin, who has been teaching English in Japan for the last several years, came into town the next day, so we were able to visit with him as well.  He hadn't met Stuart or the kids, so it was really great.

 

• We drove two days to Stuart's parent's place on St. Joseph Island, camping along the way.

 

• We were surprised to see Stuart's sister (the one he had visited on they way to Winnipeg), had decided to come out, too, turning the time into an impromtu family reunion.  From what I heard, it was the first time in about 15 years that all three of the kids had been together with their parents.  My father-in-law seemed to be doing better than I had imagined, which was a relief.

 

• I had a chance to mow the lawn with the riding lawn mower at both parent's houses, prompting Brian to say, "Oh, no - is Mom trying to be a farmer again?!?".

 

• Lots of fun ensued in Ontario - we visited an alpaca farm, I took my first (but hopefully not last) yoga class, us girls lunched at a fabulous tea room.

 

• We headed west to Winnipeg again, arriving in time for Gwenyth's 5th birthday.

 

• My mom threw a great bash for her, complete with strawberry cake.  Yum.

 

• After a bit more visiting, we drove to Saskatchewan, where I had the chance to meet one of my "imaginary friends", as the kids call my blogger buddies.  Judy was a gracious host, allowed the entire brood into her beautiful home, fed the lot of us, and even sweet-talked Stuart & her hubby into taking the kids to the park so we could rummage her stash.  I left with a happy heart, wonderful memories, and a bag of Sa-Weeet! yarn.

 

• Once Stuart dragged me from Judy's, we headed on to Drumheller, Alberta, home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, full of dinosaurs of every possible ilk.  We spent a couple of days there, and then headed for home, stopping, of course, at Ikea on the way.

 

• It was wonderful to arrive at home safe & sound, and we had a very sucessful trip (although I may not be inclined to drive 9200+ km with 4 children again anytime soon...

 

Phew - did you read all of that?  Yikes, even in summary the journey is turning into an epic.  Now that I've bit the bullet and jotted it down, I feel less guilty, and think I just might be able to start blogging again!

   

 

Sweet Things

I've been delving into crochet in the last few weeks, and whipped up a pair of these little booties in no time flat.  I had forgotten how very fast crochet can be next to knitting (although I still prefer the look of knitted fabric).

 

I found the pattern here, and used some Mission Falls 1824 cotton I had floating around, along with some buttons from the good ol' thrift store. 

 

I leave tomorrow for our Epic Adventure, so things will be quiet here over the next few weeks.  I  grumbled about the timing of this trip, wishing we were traveling in August rather than now, but am so grateful for the way things have worked out.  My aunt passed away on Tuesday, after a long and painful illness, and I will be able to be with my mom and other distant family members for the funeral, which is such a blessing.

 

Please keep us in your thoughts as we travel, separately and together, and I will pop in with updates if I am able along the way.

Fresh

 

 

With the weather starting to warm up, I find that my baking needs to be done first thing in the morning.  Liam & I tend to be the first ones up around here (I wake to a little voice calling, "Moooommmy, Moooommmy, Mom!  Mom!  Mom!), so once I make a cup of tea and get him settled, I start thinking about what to get into the oven.

 

I read this post over at a Friend to knit with, and thought mini-scones sounded like a great idea.  I couldn't find cinnamon chips here, but butterscotch ones were found acceptable by the kids (with a little brown sugar sprinkled on top, instead of cinnamon/sugar mix).    

 

It's quite nice to have something fresh from the oven in the morning, and getting the baking done like this is guaranteed to make you feel productive.  (You know - "Wow, the kids haven't even left for school yet, and my baking is done for the day!"  or even better, "Here kids, take a fresh scone with you, to eat on the way to school" .  Definite 'Good Mom' brownie points there.)

 

 

Birthday Boy

Things to remember now that Liam is two:

 

• The answer to any question is a definite and very firm NO.

 

• All food must now be consumed in it's "big" form - no more 1/2 bananas, bits of toast, or sharesies.

 

 

 

 

• Having a birthday is all about the cake.

 

 

 

• However, lit candles are very disturbing (as is everyone's sudden undivided attention).

• Bob The Builder is a really big hit.

 

 

 

 

• But no matter how big "2" is, at the end of the day, a soother & a tiger are still absolutely necessary for a weary boy.