waiting

it has been absolutely crazytown around here. i have given up on my usual linear approach to life. it is all multi-tasking and rolling with the punches. and there have been some big punches - both good and bad. savouring the good and waiting out the bad.

wet and wellies

fall seems to be making an early arrival this year. vancouver had an unprecedented hot summer so it seems a little cruel that it will be over soon. not that fall doesn't have it's charms but rain is not one of them.
i have spent most of my life on the wet west coast but i honestly never wore proper footwear or carried an umbrella until last year. i also swore i would never wear a hooded waterproof anorak but succumbed to practicality several years ago. motherhood can really squash one's fashion aspirations. while i am sure there are cool coats/boots/umbrellas to be found, my budget doesn't allow for much in the way of luxury items. quite frankly, i am not much for wearing a big logo anyway. so i am on the search for new rainboots/wellies/gumboots/hipwaders.

pagoda umbrella

aigle chantebelle

i am a huge fan of aigle boots. when i lived in japan i had a lovely pair - lost to a bonfire - sad, sad story. now to find the perfect raincoat with a hood!

lunches

back to school means lunch planning. new routines, new gear. while i was pretty enthusiastic about making sushi for lunch last night, it was a different story at 0700 hours this morning. thought these would make eating lunch fun (even if it's no fun making it).

                                                

mushroom lunchbox love notes from PuppyLoveCreations

reversible lunch bag from fortyducks

                                         

lunch box system from oots

vintage thermos from OleaVintage

burnt fingers (or not)

how cool is this machine? this is the Simplicity Bias Tape Maker and apparently it will make 12 feet of bias tape in 60 seconds. all you have to do is cut the tape to width (various width attachments are available) and feed it through the machine. WOW. with the amount of bias tape i've been making this week, i sure could have used one. my fingers are feeling tender.

quickies

these are some quick projects i managed to accomplish when i got some uninterrupted making time yesterday afternoon. the fabric box on the right is from weekend sewing and was very straight forward to make - but i used what i had and that didn't include heavy interfacing... next time. on the left is a cover for a small jam jar. we never seem to have small vases for our wildflowers and i thought this might 'pretty up' a simple jar to use as a pencil holder or a vase. easy and quick.

my mom was kind enough to give me our family teak dining table and chairs circa 1971. she thinks i'm storing it for her but possession is 9/10ths of the law, right? the original tweedy red chair upholstery is in poor condition and until my kids stop being so messy i am not recovering the chairs. the plan is to make removable quilted seat pads that can be washed as needed. with an hour left before picking up the little guy from daycare i pieced together the top for my daughter's chair. the photo doesn't show the colours very well...

back to the books

i have been devouring books all summer long. while almost all have been educational, not one was about parenting. the latest two books are family oriented in the best ways. i really enjoyed amanda's first book, the creative family and was eagerly awaiting handmade home. great projects - the girl has been busy letting me know what i should make and with what fabrics.

the river cottage family cookbook has been great. it certainly encourages families to cook together and to eat local produce and meat. we're looking forward to trying to make some yogurt and cream cheese. my husband thinks the sausage making is worth a go too. we are planning to eat more meatless meals this year so i needed to find a little more inspiration and there is no lack in this cookbook.

vacation or holiday ?

what is the difference between a holiday and a vacation? and does it really matter? we just got back from four days at harrison hot springs and three days at whistler. very, very restful. i am so well rested that one might call it lazy. like too lazy to upload these photos in the order they should be...

we stayed in that charming little bungalow, aptly named the, wait for it...bungalow motel. there are about 10 bungalows of various sizes and i think they date from the 30's or 40's. some of them have original hardwood floors and are incredibly charming. others have some original features mixed in with renovations more recently (the 80's) made. the owner or manager was very kind and helpful and the cabins were very clean. there is a pool and a bbq and the complex is mere steps away from the public beach in the second photo. we had some serious sun and some serious rain. lots of napping and reading and visiting with my in-laws.

whistler was also great. we ate, walked, and watched a lot of tv. i took the boys up to the village to get groceries on saturday and could not have picked a worse day. the big crankworx competition was on and there were some serious parking issues. too many big vehicles and not enough spots. i have no idea what is planned for the olympics but you couldn't pay me to try and negotiate crowds - in the cold, no less. but it was lovely there and i can see why it will be a wonderful place for the olympics. we went to a couple of little lakes and just relaxed.

and tried not to think that there are only two more weeks of summer vacation or summer holiday, regardless of what you call it.