leaving for las vegas

my favourite trip accessory by far is a small compass. in vancouver everyone knows that the mountains are to the north so it is pretty easy to navigate. however, in a flat place with few natural landmarks or in a busy city, a compass can be really useful. just remember that the top of any map is north. i am on the lookout for a lovely compass to wear all the time and this would be perfect.

my best girlfriend and i are off for a few days of shopping and sun in sin city. looking forward to shopping, good food, a big bed to myself, and sitting by a pool with a stack of trashy magazines. and of course having a great time with my closest friend who has been like a compass through the good and the bad for many, many years.

spring cleaning

i am trying really hard to get inspired this spring and spotted this today over at Sew, Mama, Sew! maybe i just need to do an overhaul of the studio/home office/junk room. i did move the book cases around so i could sit in front of the window but the books are still a big disorganized mess. do i organize them by subject, colour (wouldn't that be pretty?), or most often used? i did find two of my stand-bys, both were given to me by my maternal grandmother when I was about 10. she was a very proficient sewer and knitter - having 6 kids and little money - and her mother was a seamstress. i can definitely recommend your local used book store or thrift store for reference books. the fashions shown in the books may not be au courant but the sewing techniques are time tested and no different from more recently published books. and the more money you save, the more money you have for fabrics or your dream sewing machine.... i'm saving up for this one.

i love paris

from

famille summerbelle

i love love love paris. just looking at a map brings back great memories. i visited as a twelve year old and went back with my husband for our honeymoon. even the collossal heatwave couldn't stop us from enjoying every moment. we've promised ourselves that we will return as often as possible. (it'll have to wait awhile - sigh). get your little piece of paris right here - famille summerbelle. check out the amazing family tree and cute tapes - free worldwide shipping in celebration of their one year anniversaire.

cute freebie

i've been suffering from a little 'seasonal malaise' and not feeling very inspired. this little poster is just the thing to perk up my little computer corner. however, this pic is making me feel a little down - come on kate, learn to use the camera and editing software ALREADY.

my big boy is at school, the girl is busy playing with her tiniest toys and the little boy is at daycare today. thursday afternoons are for me to get some sewing and making done without having to worry about kids impaling themselves on scissors or swallowing buttons. today i am actually being treated to a nice ladies lunch. just have to remember not to have more than one glass of wine or i might just forget to pick up the kids.

i married a boy

after a couple of days of mediocre weather we finally have some sunshine. on monday the kids were getting pretty whiny after a ton of chocolate and being cooped up due to rain. i happily pulled weeds while my husband set up the hot wheels track outside for the kids. they really enjoyed it but i think he's the one who had the most fun.

my lucky neighbors have this beautiful magnolia tree in their yard. i look out at it from my chair at the kitchen table every meal (while imagining that the pile of pots and pans on the counter behind me has magically cleaned itself up).

babies need handmade

babies seem to be everywhere these days. my good friend just had a beautiful baby boy on sunday - he will share his birthday with his older brother. i made it out to her place a few days before with handknit socks and a little kimono i made. every baby should have something handmade to welcome them into the world.

relatives of ours will be welcoming their first baby sometime this month. while they are registered at a few places i resisted the shopping urge and made the baby a little outfit. a few weeks back i bought Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. great book - have plans to make every single thing in it over the spring/summer. i made the baby kimono and bloomers from the provided patterns and used the last bit of her Lightning Bugs fabric that i had in my stash. the booties pattern and the socks are patterns of my own making.

goodbye ER, goodbye

i have been watching every thursday night since 1996 and will be sad to see it end. one night of the week when i get to hog the remote. my husband, despite being a drama teacher, just can not bear the tragedies of a show based on medical emergencies. thursday nights he is only too happy to get out of the house and the kids are in bed by eight.

clean house? check
wine, cheese, & crackers? check (ok, chips and beer but I can pretend)
chocolate? check
sock knitting project on the needles? check

what am going to do with myself NEXT thursday?

thanks for the good times ER, thanks.

spring sunshine

the first daffodil to bloom in our yard. hard to imagine that it snowed the next day. the overcast and chilly days are really hindering my camera practice.