Linaloo

Mid-winter

We are making the most of a mild(ish) winter, skiing most weekends, including a visit to a new hill recently and its equally creepy and cute sentiers des toutous (teddy bear trail). 



We also took advantage of a sunny Saturday afternoon to visit Montreal's first ever snow village, complete with hotel, restaurant and chapel.  The coolest thing I've seen in a long time, quite literally.  Apparently the hotel is booked solid - not sure that I would be tempted to spend the night here but checking out all the themed rooms was fun, including this one - perfect for hockey fans!

Empire State of Mind

Shortly after new year we packed up and drove to NYC to spend a few days exploring while my husband was working there.  He's a fairly frequent visitor to Manhattan and this time we decided to all tag along for some family fun.  It's been 15 years since my last (and only) visit.  I'd almost forgotten how breathtaking it is and the children loved the excitiment and noise too.  We were lucky enough to stay in the heart of the city and walked for miles every day taking in all the sites. 

A very memorable way start to the new year!

Fall

 
 
 
 
 
 
Not much sign of any autumnal weather here yet (I'm in no rush) but we marked the beginning of fall with an apple picking trip today.  32lbs of apples (a mix of Courtland, McIntosh and Spartan) ready for some sauce making.  I'm also canning tomatoes again this week - I'm looking forward to filling a shelf or two with some homemade goodness - I take my role of domestic goddess very seriously these days!

New England

We've just come back from four days of camping in Cape Cod and a couple of nights in Boston.  New England is just as charmingly beautiful as I had hoped.  Simply breathtaking.  Four nights is the longest camping trip I've ever done and I'm thankful that the weather was kind to us.  Highlights included someone catching their first fish, boogie boarding on Nauset beach, plenty of fresh clam chowder, a first time visit to a drive-in movie theatre and a trip to Salem.
 
 
 
 

Summer lovin'

 
Just over two weeks into the summer holidays and all is well.  The weather has been glorious.  Our Canada Day was spectacular - camping, kayaking and fireworks.  The children are spending most of their time in or under the water at the pool and we're living on a diet of carrots, cucumber, hummus and freezies.

Life is good.

PS Happy birthday Granny - we're counting down the days!

Practical making: a bedskirt

 
Not the sexiest title for a blog post, nor the most riveting of subjects for that matter, but I do love a bit of practical making.  It seems the homemaker in me is always slightly smug and pleased with herself when she's able to put her sewing skills to practical use. (Although this project barely counts as sewing, as it involved just 2 little seams).

Our old bedskirt ripped ages ago and I have have been on the hunt for a replacement for while.  I've had a hard time even finding something suitable and I couldn't bring myself to spend a small fortune on one.  I knew I could probably make one but the thought of the amount of time it would take for the tedious measuring and accurate assembly of something for the bottom of my bed put me off until I happened upon this simple solution here. With a little bit of measuring, cutting of a flat sheet that has never been used, some joining, hemming and saftey pinning to the box spring and hey presto!  A practial, cheap and easy fix in just over an hour!  Admittedly white is probably not the most practical colour and I will likely end up changing it for a natural linen shade eventually, but it's certainly better than seeing all the dust bunnies lurking underneath the bed! 
I am so easily pleased.

Outdoors

   
Spring has been capricious this year.  Every time we seemed to be getting close, cold temperatures, rain and even snow have sent us running back indoors for shelter.  Finger's crossed we're finally over the hump and today we were lucky enough to get some sunshine and the chance to stretch our legs outside at the nearby arboretum.  Hope the sun is shining wherever you are today!

Change

 
Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I’m back from a much needed break with family and friends in the Florida sunshine.  I can’t tell you how much good a change of scene did me.  We had a wonderful time with extended family (a rare and special event), spent much of our time in the water, went alligator and bird watching, kayaked with dolphins, collected shells and enjoyed the company of good friends in their beautiful new Florida home. I know that I am indeed very priviledged to have such amazing experiences. I had been feeling stuck in the mother of all ruts for a while, largely brought about by a combination of the daily grind of winter, a frequently travelling (ie absent) husband and uncertainty on the job front.   Hence the lack of posting or creative endeavours lately.  I just haven’t felt like it.

So here we are, back after a spring break in the sun, a perfect tonic for my winter woes.  Well rested, batteries recharged and the big question mark hanging over the future of my job finally answered.  After exactly 3 years, my great 25 hour a week, 10 minute commute gig is over.  Naturally I’m disappointed and it has not been pleasant (bankruptcy) but it’s not the first time I’ve been through the experience.  Right now, it simply feels like a huge relief to finally know (the not knowing was the most stressful part) and move on.

Despite feeling somewhat overwhelmed by such a significant change in my day to day life, I am very lucky that I have time to figure out what’s next.   I stayed at home with the children for five years before this job (and loved every minute of it) and I’ve never taken that opportunity nor indeed the choice to work part time for granted.

Embracing winter

 
I've been quiet on the creative front since Christmas.  Life is very full and there's been uncertainty about the future of my lovely part time job which has left me feeling somewhat flat and uninspired.  Instead on focusing on what might happen, we've been fully embracing the Quebec winter and I am loving the outdoor time and happy exhaustion that skiing is providing every weekend.  Today temperatures were hovering around the zero mark and it was gloriously sunny - the perfect antidote to winter blues!

Hello 2011 (and a small announcement)

 Happy new year all!
 
A few of my favourite captures from 2010.

Nothing like the new year and a fresh start for a bit of navel gazing and contemplating the what ifs in life.  I decided that this year I’d like to try selling some of my stuff online on a very small scale - I’m just dipping my toes in the water so to speak...feel free to take a peak over at my shop:  Linaloo and let me know what you think.