If it ain't Scottish...

Yesterday was spent exploring the sights around our new hometown. We visited the Belleville market in the morning. Smallish but fantastic! Tomatoes were really expensive though (Does $20 a bushel seem like a lot?).

Then it was off to the Trenton Scottish and Irish Festival. Lots of great sights and sounds for everyone with a bit of green in their blood. My fave was the 'Heavy Games' where the big men in kilts compete in crazy feats of strength. Like tossing a 20 lb rock 60ft.

Or the 'Sheep Toss' where a bag is thrown with a pitchfork high into the air.

That post is set to 31' 2", the Canadian amateur record is 31'. If only he'd managed to toss it over the post, rather than beside it. Ah well, I'm sure he'll be breaking records in no time at all.

Still working on my gals as well as my coven of witch's... for now I'm stripping hideous wall paper in my bathroom and trying to prep myself for days and days of painting.

WIP's

When I was in school I never understood the hub bub about process. My art and design instructors went on and on about it, and I just never got it.

Pftt. When you're a 'young adult' who cares about process? I sure as heck didn't. Then again, I'm fairly certain that their idea of 'process' was just proof that I'd done the required amount of homework, or a deliberate creative routine I was supposed to follow.

Now I see it as a celebration of the act of creation. It's embracing the joy of making.

I love the process of creating. I love seeing how other people create. For me the actual making can be as rewarding as the resulting works.

Anywho, here are my seasonal gals in the process of being made...

Fertility Magic Freebie

A friend from high school was asking me about fertility magic and I remembered an old document I made up a few years ago. It's a sort of jumble of folk and other magical information I came across when I was looking for help with my own fertility issues.

I'm providing it for your own personal use... which basically means please don't turn around and sell it.

Fertility Magic PDF

Here's to making baby bumps!

Season's Greetings

Despite the fact that I have a zillion other things to finish I started a new project today. I'm thinking of turning these fine ladies into greeting cards. Yuletide Fairy goodness? Halloweeny Curse Cards? Who knows... I just love these old gals.

Healthy eating = Bad parenting

This is my awesome kidlet. Seriously, he's the best kiddo in the whole wide world. I do my best to do right by him and to give him a good life. Going into work and leaving him with sitters was pretty damned hard. Being given the opportunity to work from home and be here when he gets home from school is a dream come true.

Being home also means good cooking. We're cutting out the junk (most of it anyway) and eating lovely home cooked meals. I'm all about keeping my fellas well fed and healthy.

Today, I decided to run into town, take care of a few errands and buy some veggies and salad for dinner. Gotta eat your vegetables after all. When I got home there was a message on the phone saying that D had been stung... twice! Dear lord! Thank the heavens that the Mr. picked him up.

I called them up right away and the kiddo was fine and dandy (though a bit grumpy) with his daddy at work. Phew. Then I find out that my dear husband had to buy the wee fella lunch because the pear and jam wrap I made for him turned to mush and tasted like poop. *Mental note: do not attempt the inventive food combinations from a 6 year old mind*

So today I'm feeling like a fairly crappy mom and I'm blaming it all on healthy eating. I'm never leaving the house during school hours again. If I didn't go out to buy that damned salad I'm sure that none of this would have happened.

A productive day

It's strange to be alone. I'm used to going to an office, being with my kiddo, walking around my old, large hometown city, seeing and speaking with people every day. Now that I'm working from home and D is off to school for a full day, I have the house to myself for the first time in eons. I seriously don't remember when I've had so much time alone. It's a much different life, but it's awfully nice. If I didn't like shopping so much, it would be easy to become one of those people who never leave the house.


All this alone time means that between work and laundry I can actually craft during daylight hours! Today was a fairly productive crafting day. I've managed to get my 'Birds, birds, birds' Swap package done. Here's some of the pretties in the package...

I'm pretty pleased with the stuff I've made. I'm actually feeling rather inspired after all this making... I very well may stay up into the wee hours of the morning making more :)

The last days of summer...

I've always thought of the Labour Day weekend as the end of summer. I know the end really isn't until the equinox but there is something final about Labour Day.

It's been a beautiful weekend (and quiet too... ) and we've hosted our fist house guest. My mother came up for a few days and despite the boxes still littering the hallways and other moving leftovers, it was a pretty nice time for all. Quiet and relaxing... ah, just as things should be.

With all the peace and quiet I've managed to squeeze in some proper baking and cooking.

Quiche with broccoli and panchetta...

Nectarine crumble cake...

And today... the MUCH anticipated gnocchi

I can't eat store bought gnocchi but these home made goodies are a different story. There is simply no comparison.