Linaloo

C25K

I'm turning 40 this year and I'm suddenly feeling a bit middle aged.  So I'm using a free C25K podcast to build myself up to running 5K again.  Or should I say jogging.  I'm not an athlete and I'm horribly out of shape, but I have (pre children) run two half marathons, so I know that it's entirely possible.  My new year's resolution is not to compete in a race necessarily, but simply to get fitter, stronger and a little less wobbly in the thigh department.  This week I went for my second run with a friend outside at -14C wearing hubby's yaktrax to stop any spectacular slidey ice wipeouts.  So far so good!

Hello November

This is not one of those charmingly named barf-o-lanterns.  This is what a squirrel did to my son's pumpkin this afternoon.  Gross, but kind of funny too.

So my 30 day dress better challenge only really lasted 7 days having been hit with a nasty cold (still coughing), a weekend away and the realization that I'd worn pretty much everything that fits me and is seasonally appropriate by day 7.  I'm not sure that I have it in me to go down the daily posting/photo taking route...as tempted as I am to jump on the NaBloPoMo jumpwagon, I don't think I'd make it past week one.

So here I am, relaxing in my yoga pants finally having succumbed to pinterest.  I was holding off knowing that it was just another major internet time suck but the number of visits here via pinterest plus the convenient to be able to save things away in one place have finally broken down my resolve.  Of course, it's utterly awesome.

30 Days

Like clockwork, this week I've noticed the winter blahs slowly creeping in.  The upside is that because I've blogged about it every single year, I know that the feeling won't last too long.  One way of distracting myself while I adjust to the change of season is to shake things up a little.  Inspired by Claudia and Ali, and the What I Wore Wednesday ladies I am making an effort to dress better for the next 30 days and posting the results on flickr.  

This is not me attempting to be a 20 something fashionista, it's about resisting the urge to wear yoga pants or the same pair of jeans everyday.  (Although, I will likely wear jeans most days!).  

Today's outfit:
top - Next (thanks Mum and Dad), jeans - Oasis (I've had these 5 years!), boots - Winners.

Topsy turvy

 
Before

I baked a chocolate birthday cake for my inlaws today.  Whilst I could happily live without most fruit, I am an enthusiastic berry lover and what could possibly be better than a raspberry and chocolate cake combination?  I hurriedly added raspberries and my husband tactfully pointed out that they should probably be the other way up,  I thought about it for a minute and realised he was right and was annoyed with myself for not thinking of it beforehand. So I switched them around and was much happier with the result.

 
After

And so I find this is how my life has seemed lately. A recent series of events has left me feeling lacking in direction, not really knowing which way is up or down, where or what next. A little adrift according to this.

Enjoying

 
This past week I have been enjoying:

Pefecting making bread by hand rather than by my inherited, rather unreliable breadmaker – using this recipe.

Watching OK Go videos on Youtube.  This one, inspired by Rube Goldberg (the inventor of mouse trap, among other things) is particularly genius – such fun and the children have requested it over and over again.  (Don’t worry - the first shot is red paint, NOT blood).

Reading the first two books in the Stieg Larsson trilogy.  And reading this parody by the hilarious Nora Ephron in the New Yorker.

A spot of yarn shopping to make one of these.

Skiing lessons, every weekend for the next six weeks - although it was -30C on the mountain today! Brrrr!

What about you?

Speed knitting for Christmas

I set myself the rather tall order of knitting everyone in the family socks for Christmas. As a relative novice and slowish knitter I've given myself a goal of a sock a week. Given my run rate so far is around 3 months for a pair coupled with the fact that I am only able to knit in the evenings and on weekends, I figured it was a little ambitious but perfectly doable if I devoted all my spare time to knitting and not much else.

I know, I make it sound like so much fun.

I’m lagging a bit behind though and am paying the price for trying to make up for lost time with sore index fingers from prolonged jabbing at myself with dpns. While avoiding further injuries, I took a break and googled “how fast can you knit a sock?” for fun and found this very interesting post from Yarn Harlot about knitting a sock a day. I wondered about how much she actually slept and then, before I knew it, I found myself watching people speed knitting on youtube.

 

I’m amazed. In awe. WOW.

*Sigh*. Maybe I’ll start a new tradition of new year’s socks.

The art of handwriting

 
With one learning child learning les lettres attachées (cursive) and the other left handed, fine motor challenged child proudly mastering his lettres miniscules (lower case), la calligraphie (handwriting practise) has been a familiar theme at home for a while. And on our new chalkboard door and anywhere else for that matter, sweet little notes crop up around the house.
 
I went to a junior school where the headmaster placed a great deal of importance on good penmanship and once our technique was deemed good enough in pencil, there was an official ceremony where our status was elevated to that of “scribe” and we were awarded our first fountain pen with a broad nib.  From there grew my love of calligraphy and I spent hours practicing and honing my new found skill.  An unusual hobby that later on, in my teens, earned me a little extra pocket money writing lots of invitations.

Countless house moves later my pens and nibs were lost and forgotten.
 
I’m not sure what inspired me to start up again – the need for instant craft gratification perhaps, but I’m glad I did. I had this idea in my head to make a very simple calligram for a Christmas card, topped with a little bling.  Et voilà!
 
 

Hello Novemblah!

 
 
 
 
Here's what I'm enjoying about Novemblah so far:

Cozy fireside evenings watching TV – currently enjoying the new series of Dexter and the arrival of Netflix in Canada.

Knitting.  Socks again. I had to give it up for a while after developing a callous on my finger from my dpns.

Sun!  We had glorious sunny weather this weekend, perfect for raking up leaves.

A little more sleep thanks to daylight savings.

Morning snuggles and kisses from my boy.

A door freshly painted with blackboard paint.

Buying a new calligraphy pen and practising again – Christmas cards in the works!

Feeling pampered after getting my biannual haircut and colour.

Listening to my daughter practising playing violin.  She’s learning to play twinkle twinkle little star in time for the school Christmas concert!

Setting a date for a little road trip getaway to TO at the end of the month.

Eating lots of my children's Halloween leftovers, especially these.  Shhh.  Don't tell!

Hope November is treating you well.

Socks for the soul

  
Like clockwork, my winter blahs have arrived this week with a vengeance. I've been trying to ignore the signs (exhaustion, feeling run down and a general apathetic malaise) for a while but I'm too shattered to fake it anymore. I've given in and have succumbed to putting my PJs on as soon as dinner's done, watching crap tv on the couch and early nights. I know it will pass quickly but for the next few weeks I'll be in hibernation mode.

The upside of all this feeling rather sorry for myself is that sock knitting is turning out to be very theraputic and good for the soul.  I've already cast on the next pair...

What I've been doing...

 
Thrifting.  Today was my happiest thrifting day to date!

Reading this for book club.

Watching series 1 of Mad Men,  I'm hooked.

Laughing very hard at this.  Love Eddie Izzard.

Sewing maverick stars.  For fun.

Running again.  It's been a while. Ouch.

Knitting my first real item of clothing.  With sock yarn and teeny needles.

Waiting.  Not so patiently for spring.

How about you?