We've got a lot of stuff...

Everywhere I turn there are boxes. Lots and lots of boxes.

Between the wine stash, the books, the cooking gear, and all that regular stuff that fills a house, there is an overwhelming amount of things to pack. We're living in a cardboard jungle at the mo'. Some people have said "Oh, you'll have to get rid of your (fill in the item here)" when we mentioned our long haul. Well... the winemaker is determined to keep his cellar intact and I will not willfully give up my stash of crafting goods. We are both in love with our crazy number of books so that is out of the question. How in the world are we going to move everything?

I'm still not sure. Ug.

In crafty news... all of my goods are packed and I am going through serious withdrawal. I've signed up for a bird swap on craftster and plan on crafting like a crazy lady once my boxed goodies are unpacked. Hurrah!

Something else I want to get my crafty little hands busy on are these...



How wonderful are these?!? Made by the insanely talented Phizzychick over at craftster.org this wee town is made up of teeny houses. The square front of each house measures only 1 inch square! LOVE them and totally stealing the idea to make own village.

Here's the project link http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=313936.0

The countdown continues

It was a crazy day today. Thunderstorms brought buckets of rain that flooded the streets of the East end of Hamilton. Just blocks from our house basements were underwater and streets impassable. I feel for those friends and neighbours who've been affected by the rains... for some this is not the first round of flooding they've dealt with.

We're packing like mad. There's only 14 days left till moving day. The Mr. is starting to panic about the logistics of everything and the sheer amount of stuff we have to move. I'm totally excited and think that the packing is going fairly well although I do keep thinking about all the unpacking with each box I tape shut.

As a gal who has lived in a rather large city for the last 20 years moving to the sticks is a big change. While laying with the kiddo, trying to get him to sleep, I thought about the noise and wondered for just a minute if I'd miss it. Will I miss the sirens, the motorcycles, the busy street traffic and the noisy bar across the way? Not a chance!

I wonder if the scene in my mind will come close to what the reality will be once we move. Will this city gal be pleased as punch to stay home and make pie and craft? Or will I quickly feel the need for a big dirty city and start up a cult or hooker ring in my new home town? Hey, there's a great sushi place about 20 minutes away from the new house... I'm sure I'll survive.

The light at the end of the crazy tunnel

Here she is, the reason that my sanity is almost still intact, our new home!



Knowing that we'll be moving into this lovely place (which I still can't believe) is keeping me motivated. I keep thinking that all the stress, all of the headaches, the lost sleep, and hard work is for a purpose and will be worth it in the end. Heck, I can even deal with the loss of all my books and crafty supplies (all packed up in moving boxes) for a while if it means living in my dreamy home.

I am totally stitching a "Home Sweet Home" thingy for this place :) *sigh*

Wheee! What a roller coaster ride!

So I've been missing. I still will be for a month or so, but it's all good and I think I can share a bit of what's been going on.

Here's a mini-rundown of the past two and a half months...

We've dealt with job loss, gained employment, gone to a gazillion birthday parties, prepped our house for sale, decluttered, painted ceilings and walls, cleaned our fingers to the bone, we've battled a nasty flu, gone to swim lessons, soccer practice, soccer games, cooked, done laundry, worked full time, done grocery shopping, made curtains, steam cleaned carpets, sold our house, shopped for houses, bought a house (just a couple of things before it's official!), slept (a tiny bit), and loads of other stuff that is escaping me at the mo' as well as trying to make sure our kiddo is a-ok while he only has one frazzled parent at home and the other is away working.

We've been busy. So busy that much of our 'outside' life has gone completely neglected.

I'll be back in the latter half of August to share the fruits of all this madness. For anyone who has emailed me, I'm sorry you've been put on hold, I'm especially sorry if I've worried anyone, but I will get back to you once our move is complete. As much as I'd like to do it all, I can't. Something had to give before I lost my mind. I've been on the verge of a panic attack for the last month but things are finally slowing down and I'm starting to catch my breath.

Once again, I'm sorry to those of you that have emailed and haven't had a reply. Please just hold on a little while longer and I will get to you as soon as I can! I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your patience and understanding.

A short pause...

It's been a crazy few weeks.

There's a lot going on here and a ton of changes happening in our lives. Change is exciting and frightening... it's also extremely stressful and time consuming. We've got a lot to figure out and lot to deal with over the next couple of months, so I'm taking a short break to deal with life stuff.

Besides battling a nasty bought of the flu we're all okay so please don't worry. When we've settled I'll get right back into the swing of things and let you in on what's been going on.

And so, I'm sorry for not responding to emails or getting in touch, it's just that things will be a tad bumpy for a wee while... but it will all be worth it in the end, wait and see :)

xoxo
Nichola

WIP's

I've been a bit quiet lately. It seems that time is passing me by too quickly and I can't catch up on anything. Perhaps I burnt myself out just a wee bit over the past two months with a crazy amount of making and doing.

I haven't been sitting on my but though. Here is one of the projects I'm working on...



They aren't nearly done, and there will be 13 of them when I'm done (hopefully). I always like to see sneak peeks of other peoples work and then the 'big reveal' at the end. The process of making is just as interesting as the result.

Papa Legba Part II

Woo hoo! I've finished the Papa Legba shrine I've been working on. I've included a few things that aren't exactly Vodou related but I think that everything works pretty well together.







You can see on the shot of the inside a small tin. It's filled with tobacco, a traditional offering. When I went into the corner store and asked for pipe tobacco you might have thought that I had three heads the way the clerks were looking at me. "We have it, but no one ever buys it." the fella behind the counter said as he handed it over.