We had a lovely Christmas Day yesterday. Excitement, joy and a very early rise!
Traci has features one of the tags I made this year on her blog A Mix of Madness. Feeling quite delighted to be featured with other great artists.
Three Things :
1) A happy, healthy family
2) Excitement and joy on Christams Eve and Christmas Day
3) Having candles around the house and working by candlelight only - beautiful light and shadows
Christmas Magic
Three Things
- So happy we have such good friends. Spent 10 hours at Pam's yesterday with the kids, and we still were not ready to leave when it came time to go.
- LOVED our day at Alki Beach today. It was so nice to have Calum home from work - he's been working so hard lately.
- Thankful for our health. Thanking my lucky stars that my results were clear and follow-up yesterday went so well.
Gratitude
I've been thinking about gratitude a lot lately, especially from reading Karenika's blog everyday. Decided to aim for my own three things each day too. Such a good way to end the day, thinking of the good things that have happened.
Three things :
1) Enjoying a morning coffee and laughter with a good friend.
2) Having my daughter confide some bad news to me. Trying to be the best I can be when navigating through unchartered waters. Not giving into how I feel about a situation and trying to put myself in her shoes.
3) A friend confiding in me and feeling glad she trusts me with her thoughts.
Three things :
1) Enjoying a morning coffee and laughter with a good friend.
2) Having my daughter confide some bad news to me. Trying to be the best I can be when navigating through unchartered waters. Not giving into how I feel about a situation and trying to put myself in her shoes.
3) A friend confiding in me and feeling glad she trusts me with her thoughts.
Thinking about the past
Looking for a family heirloom for Sophie's school project. Only have a few old things and this was one of them. Sent my mind in a spin thinking of where this ring had been and what kind of life the wearer may have had. Funny how a little thing can have your mind racing for hours.
Memories
When I was young, a 21/22 year old (1992), at the end of my summer inter-railing through Europe, I happenend upon a chapel in Italy. I remember wanting to go inside and feeling a sense of belonging, so inside I went. I was a bit dubious about leaving my rucksack with tent and all belongings at the front of the chapel, but it seemed wrong to bring it into the main area (I've no idea what it's called) with me. I sat at one of the front rows and I prayed. For many things, but mainly for a better life and to be a better person, and forgiveness for the wrongs I'd done. I'd made many mistakes and sometimes hadn't the courage to stand up for what I wanted, or what I believed to be true, so I prayed. I cried. The priest came close to me and saw the tears on my face. I felt embarrased, but relieved that there was a language barrier, so I didn't have to pour out my thoughts to him (at the same time feeling envy for the confessional boxes). I felt lighter, free'er and happy that my belongings were still there at the entrance to the chapel. I forgave myself. Life is for living and learning. I sometimes forget, but remembering always brings that 21/22 year old girl back to me and the realisation that I am enough and everything is ok. We do the best we can at that particular time and place, and that's ok. If only I had the knowledge then that I do now. What I could say to make it better. That's the beauty of life and living.
Random Thoughts
My head is spinning with thoughts. Thoughts of finishing the curtains for the patio door, putting 2 new buttons on Sophie's shirt, addressing all the thoughts that seem to fill my mind.... I sit and close my eyes. The sound of the aquarium that really needs a good cleaning, the hum of the washing machine and dishwasher promising newly cleaned goods for the morning, Calum testing out some new bikes that were for his birthday back in August, Sophie making it through her homework (due for tomorrow) working on my laptop, Euan with his funny everyday notions, firing on my bum with his Nerfgun as I cleaned the downstairs toilet. This is life captured today. Delight at purchasing red, felt ricrac for my December daily album, feeling a sense of achievement that this is the third year of documenting our month of December and feeling like an athlete for going for a run at 7:40am this morning when I could have stayed in bed. Small accomplishments that leave me feeling I am capable of taking on the world. Today was a good day, a very good day.
The Lost Symbol
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Symbol-Robert-Langdon-No/dp/0385504225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281322881&sr=8-1-spell
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this Dan Brown novel, but it held less suspense than 'The Da Vinci Code' or even 'Angels and Demons'. I do enjoy his books, especially the little insights into other religions, groups and cults and interesting geographic tidbits that are thrown in. Worth a read.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this Dan Brown novel, but it held less suspense than 'The Da Vinci Code' or even 'Angels and Demons'. I do enjoy his books, especially the little insights into other religions, groups and cults and interesting geographic tidbits that are thrown in. Worth a read.
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
I loved reading this book, even though it was full of disfunctional family relationships and suffering. I am always shocked when I read books of this sort - realising that situations like this happen all over the world, and it's not just a 'story'.
man and boy ~ Tony Parsons
I bought this book in a small cafe/restaurant in Luss, Scotland. We'd stopped for lunch there and they had a small corner where they were selling second hand books, with the money going into an empty jam jar. I loved the way I came across this book and when I started reading it, I was so glad I came across it - I couldn't put this book down.
It was a great story of love, relationships, family and life. I could see me reaading this one again as I thoroughly enjoyed it this time round. One I'll be passing onto friends.
It was a great story of love, relationships, family and life. I could see me reaading this one again as I thoroughly enjoyed it this time round. One I'll be passing onto friends.
To Do Lists
Sometimes when I have a huge list of things to do, I feel overwhelmed before even starting. Then I have a day like today where I just keep chipping away until eventually I wonder why I was so stressed about starting in the first place. I like that, and hope next time I'll feel less anxious about getting started!
Scotland
Well, looks like we are going to Scotland for the summer, and I'm so excited. It's been 2 years and I am sooo ready to go back. It will be lovely to see everyone and spend some quality time together. Just need to finalise a few details then get the tickets booked - yipee!!
First Digital Page
Today I completed my first digital scrapbook page and I was delighted with it. I used Ali's freebie template and watched her video on using it. I have been playing around with Photoshop for a few months and completed a free course on using it from Jessica Sprague. I have bought some elements from Digital Designers and had used each of them independently, but today everything came together for me. I feel ready to do a few pages this way and just have them printed off on matt paper at Costco.
Not too shabby for my first attempt. I'm excited about starting these, especially as we don't have a lot of space for supplies in our house. This just might be the answer, with maybe some of my embellishments added afterwards.
Not too shabby for my first attempt. I'm excited about starting these, especially as we don't have a lot of space for supplies in our house. This just might be the answer, with maybe some of my embellishments added afterwards.
Feels like Spring has Sprung
Went outside to take some photos this morning. I felt the sunlight calling me as I worked on the laptop at the dining room table. I was so surprised firstly by the warmth of the day and secondly by all the little trasures that met me. I was astonished to see so many plants in full colored bud. I was so inspired, I decided to clear all the broken twigs and leaves from the beds to give the little plants room to grow. I love this time of year - new growth, changing days, and the promise of something new and wonderful.
The best of days
I love long weekends, especially after a busy Saturday and Sunday. Today was a day for catching up and enjoying one another and friends. We met our friends at the park and spent a couple of hours having fun, chatting and the kids rode their scooters. More fun playing the "around the world" basketball shooting game, then a delicious dinner of soup and crusty bread.
A simple day, but one of joy and laughter and time spent together. The best of days.
I love this girl...
Me : Sophie, you are so lovely.
Sophie : I know.
Me : How do you know?
Sophie : Because you tell me all the time.
Me : And if I didn't tell you, would you still know?
Sophie : Yes.
Me : How would you know?
Sophie : I know it in my heart.
Sophie : I know.
Me : How do you know?
Sophie : Because you tell me all the time.
Me : And if I didn't tell you, would you still know?
Sophie : Yes.
Me : How would you know?
Sophie : I know it in my heart.
Thinking of Scotland...
This is a snapshot of my iTunes playlist. I find myself playing Amy McDonald again and again. Her voice is just what I need to hear these days. I'm finding myself thinking about Scotland all the time - hoping to travel there in the summer, the people we'll love to see, the look of the land and the historical architecture. Thet are all things that I miss and am longing for. Moving here has been a sacrifice, and I feel it more and more as I get older. We all miss out on our family by being here and sometimes I just wish we were closer.
Around the garden
I wanted to catch small snapshots of our garden as it is right now. I've been thinking of doing one of the 'Week in the Life' projects ( as done by Ali)and thought this would be a great way to reference the changes throughout the seasons - I'm thinking 4x a year will be a good way to document.
I haven't spent any time out in the garden lately, and it shows. Raking and mulching are required as well as removal of some plants that didn't make it through the winter. I'm in the process of planning some new veggies to grow this year.
We had such success with tomatoes last year that they will be definite players in the garden again this year, but I think I'll do maybe 4 or 5 large pots of them. Our strawberries in the beds didn't grow so well, so I'm thinking of growing those in large pots too. Courgettes will be grown, and maybe some sweet peppers. I am so inspired by the many people who grow and pickle/jar their veggies that I'm thinking, why not us? I was delighted with the jam I made last year from the raspberries we picked from the farm, and for my first batch, I have to admit that it was pretty amazing (even though I do say so myself).
I haven't spent any time out in the garden lately, and it shows. Raking and mulching are required as well as removal of some plants that didn't make it through the winter. I'm in the process of planning some new veggies to grow this year.
We had such success with tomatoes last year that they will be definite players in the garden again this year, but I think I'll do maybe 4 or 5 large pots of them. Our strawberries in the beds didn't grow so well, so I'm thinking of growing those in large pots too. Courgettes will be grown, and maybe some sweet peppers. I am so inspired by the many people who grow and pickle/jar their veggies that I'm thinking, why not us? I was delighted with the jam I made last year from the raspberries we picked from the farm, and for my first batch, I have to admit that it was pretty amazing (even though I do say so myself).
We spent some time yesterday in the garden I was rethinking the raised beds I had planned last year. The railway sleepers that separate our garden from our neighbours were probably treated with chemicals so I thought we could just level a slightly raised bed that is approx 12'x8' then put some sort of paving to keep out the weeds and be a flat surface for the pots to sit on. The 4 of us got the tools out but we came across an enormous rock just a few inches under the surface. We spent about an hour digging around it but it is a beast, and probably wont be shifted without some sort of machinery, so Calum is going to drill some holes in then try to break it into pieces. Which is a shame because it would be a great addition to the garden. I was imagining it as a sitting rock with some low flowery growth around it.
We're going to dig some more around it (maybe next weekend) and see if it will shift slightly when theres less clay soil sticking to it.
'Where there's a will there's a way' is coming to mind!
The End Result
Well, the bread was baked, brought from the oven, sliced and buttered. The verdict?
Sophie declared it was the best bread she had ever tasted (I love this kid)
Euan did not try it - he's not the best bread eater.
Calum enjoyed it and
I thought it was a really good first try but definitely something I could improve upon.
It was a little dense (but I like dense breads) which could be from the lack of kneading, so I'm going to look for variations online that I can prepare for tomorrow's loaf.
All in all, a good experience and like most things, something that will improve with practice.
Baking Bread
I just prepared my first handmade loaf, and it feels really good. I had an older breadmaking machine that I'd made a couple of loaves in, but it was not the same. Popping ingredients into the machine and turning it on was not in the least bit satisfying for me and I'm glad to have tried the easy/no-knead loaf that I saw advertised on you-tube.
I must admit, that when I was mixing all the ingredients together in the bowl, I did think it was a little too easy. But this morning when I got up (I'd left the dough for about 19hrs) I was delighted to see that not only had it swollen in size but it was also stringy (ish) as had been shown on the video.
The feeling of the dough in my hands was so soft and bouncy (almost) that I smiled to myself. This feels like true bread-making, no matter what the ease of it.
I'm planning on making variations on this loaf. Just a quick google search, or even a search on you-tube brings up thousands of good ideas for different breads. And I'm planning on trying them. One loaf at a time.
I must admit, that when I was mixing all the ingredients together in the bowl, I did think it was a little too easy. But this morning when I got up (I'd left the dough for about 19hrs) I was delighted to see that not only had it swollen in size but it was also stringy (ish) as had been shown on the video.
The feeling of the dough in my hands was so soft and bouncy (almost) that I smiled to myself. This feels like true bread-making, no matter what the ease of it.
I'm planning on making variations on this loaf. Just a quick google search, or even a search on you-tube brings up thousands of good ideas for different breads. And I'm planning on trying them. One loaf at a time.
This House
Feels good around here. Calum worked on our master bath today (that was started 2 years ago) and I sorted some things out. Cleaned out the computer desk, shredded a lot of stuff that was no use to man nor beast - I don't understand why I've been holding onto so much junk.
The house is looking so much cleaner and open, and ready for the few paint jobs that we need to do - our bedroom (that had a new wall put up 2 years ago, but has stood still ever since), our main bathroom (that has some of the trim missing) and the family room (that has a couple of walls painted but not the rest). It's ok though, because we love the house as it is, but I'm sure we will feel so good to get these jobs done. It's been a long time coming - we have had our attention on so many other things, but I'm excited to see how it all looks when it's done.
No doubt by then it'll be time to move onto the garden and the extended veggie patch I'm planning!
The house is looking so much cleaner and open, and ready for the few paint jobs that we need to do - our bedroom (that had a new wall put up 2 years ago, but has stood still ever since), our main bathroom (that has some of the trim missing) and the family room (that has a couple of walls painted but not the rest). It's ok though, because we love the house as it is, but I'm sure we will feel so good to get these jobs done. It's been a long time coming - we have had our attention on so many other things, but I'm excited to see how it all looks when it's done.
No doubt by then it'll be time to move onto the garden and the extended veggie patch I'm planning!
A Good Day
Today was a good day - nothing miraculous happened, nothing out of the ordinary, but I felt really good all day and spent some good times with each of my three.
Calum and I had a good browse around Borders this morning, and I came away with 4 new books. I've made a start on 3 of them, but since I already have 2 others on the go, I need to slow down and focus on maybe 2 or 3. It feels so nice to have him home while the kids are at school. We are getting things done and talking and just having some good times together.
Euan had a playdate after school, but when that was over, and Sophie had left for basketball and Calum popped out to a friends to pick up something, we had the place to ourselves so we watched the ending of UP (his favorite) and chatted about the book he was reading. After his shower we read more of his book together and talked about what was important and the moral of the story.
When Sophie got home from basketball we had some time to chat about her day, and her excitement for the math she is learning in school - geometry. We talked about the different angles, their names and what they looked like and represented. I love that she loves math.
I love these three and am so happy for this life we have together.
Calum and I had a good browse around Borders this morning, and I came away with 4 new books. I've made a start on 3 of them, but since I already have 2 others on the go, I need to slow down and focus on maybe 2 or 3. It feels so nice to have him home while the kids are at school. We are getting things done and talking and just having some good times together.
Euan had a playdate after school, but when that was over, and Sophie had left for basketball and Calum popped out to a friends to pick up something, we had the place to ourselves so we watched the ending of UP (his favorite) and chatted about the book he was reading. After his shower we read more of his book together and talked about what was important and the moral of the story.
When Sophie got home from basketball we had some time to chat about her day, and her excitement for the math she is learning in school - geometry. We talked about the different angles, their names and what they looked like and represented. I love that she loves math.
I love these three and am so happy for this life we have together.
Granny's birthday
Today would have been my granny's birthday. I loved that her birthday was the day after mine, but always felt sad that we were never around at that time as she lived so far away. I didn't really know much about her or her life as we always travelled there for weekends and I was too young to ask her the things I wanted to know about her life and my dad.
I remember her as always being energetic, even in her last years when she wasn't quite herself. She had a hard life, but lived as a strong woman who overcame emotional hardships.
She'll be in my thoughts a lot today.
I remember her as always being energetic, even in her last years when she wasn't quite herself. She had a hard life, but lived as a strong woman who overcame emotional hardships.
She'll be in my thoughts a lot today.
Back to school...
... and routine. Kids were exhausted this morning, especially Sophie, who spent over an hour crying last night because she thought she lost something for school and was really worried about it. She has soccer tonight and Wed, and basketball Tues and Thurs this week. She'll be sleeping soundly all week, I'm sure.
Euan and I are going shoe shopping today after school, after his homework is done. His shoes are pretty worn and it's the only pair left that fits, so off we go.
Calum's off work this week so we're hoping to tile and grout the kitchen this week - he'll tile and I'll grout and seal. Looking forward to getting this kitchen completely finished. It's taken a while, but we're getting there!
happy birthday to me
39 today! I can hardly believe it. The kids and Calum made me a lovely breakfast of hot buttery toast and hot water with lemon & honey - delicious.
It was a day full of sports. Sophie had her basketball game. During it, Calum left with Euan to go to his soccer match. After basketball, Sophie had a quick shower then we met the boys at Coho's for a birthday dinner. Delicious. And we were sitting near the open fire, which I loved.
Home afterwards where they surprised me with cupcakes from whole foods which were delicious.
I feel very lucky indeed to have these 3 loving me and making me feel so special.
It was a day full of sports. Sophie had her basketball game. During it, Calum left with Euan to go to his soccer match. After basketball, Sophie had a quick shower then we met the boys at Coho's for a birthday dinner. Delicious. And we were sitting near the open fire, which I loved.
Home afterwards where they surprised me with cupcakes from whole foods which were delicious.
I feel very lucky indeed to have these 3 loving me and making me feel so special.
Looking Forward
A lovely family day spent together. Sophie had her soccer game and scored a great goal into the top corner of the net - amazing. Both kids bought moustaches from the machines in Arena Sports and were hilarious. Must look on amazon/ebay for the moustache set Cathy featured on her blog - they are too fun.
Can't wait to try out some of these delish recipies!
A parcel arrived today from Dawn & Laurence - a nice surprise. A great Nigel Slater book called Tender. Started reading it tonight. Love his cookbooks - full of interesting titbits, aside from the recipies. This one is about vegetables, growing them in his own garden and lots of different ways to season them and pair them with other foods.
Can't wait to try out some of these delish recipies!
a new decade
The start of a new decade. We struggled to get going this morning after staying up for the bells last night. The kids were tired, and a little snippy with one another - nothing that an early night won't fix!
I'm really ready for this new year - so much so that I put the tree away today - something that I never do this early, but it felt right so I went with it. The kids stayed in their pjs all day and wrapped themselves in their cushion/blankets that they got for Christmas. Lots of fun hiding under them, wrapping each other up in them and generally hanging out.
A good start to the year.
I'm really ready for this new year - so much so that I put the tree away today - something that I never do this early, but it felt right so I went with it. The kids stayed in their pjs all day and wrapped themselves in their cushion/blankets that they got for Christmas. Lots of fun hiding under them, wrapping each other up in them and generally hanging out.
A good start to the year.
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