While Tangerine Dreams

Gnome More Excuses

Let's get the excuses out of the way first. Our camera batteries are those rechargables but they've been recharged one too many times and we've been without my favorite accessory until we were able to go to town and get more. Gawd, I missed so much cuteness to share with you! Hopefully this makes up. Back to school season again! Edie's enrolled in a Waldorfy parent and child class again. It's called Sweetpeas. The program's as cute as its name. She loves it so much, she's been playing going to school the last few weeks by throwing pillows on the floor in a line, placing one doll on each one while she sits at the "back of the bus" and they all go to school. So she almost went into a seizure when I told her her best friend, Ambrosia, will be in Sweetpeas this semester too. She loves her so much as you can probably tell by the picture (though, I have to admit my prompt was "look at each other, then smile"(I say smile with an extra dose of smile in my voice). Ambrosia's mom is one of my favourite girl friends out here so it makes me sad to remember that they will be moving very, very, very far away soon.

But on a happier note, my best friend from highschool just moved into the area and she's enrolled in Sweetpeas  too. She, of course, has a child and he turned two yesterday. For his fete, I whipped up a little Gnome doll in his likeness. The hair is actually the yarn I spun from the spinning course I took last year. Good ol' Bronwyn the sheep. I bought an extra bag of her to make Isobel but I truthfully can't even go there with my head much with my giant to-do list growing with moving day just around the corner. Can I say our place is coming together so fabulously? I don't mean to gush but it's so ours now it just makes me ovulate.

Now that camera's working, I'll be able to capture the evolution of our new nest so far. I see the sun's peeking out now after a few days of rain. Fresh batteries, sunshine; the blogesses are smiling down on me. Other than my blogging addiction, we don't mind the rain much. Ducks have recently been anointed as our family's power animal. Fertility, family, peace and protection. Quack.

Chilling Out

This especially cute moment was brought to you by the luscious Indian Summer we were experiencing just a week ago.  Now the icecream (cones anyway) is put away and hot oatmeal is pulled back out much to Edie's chagrin. This is her favorite little girlfriend's house. See the strawbale fixings behind them?

We visited this house when I was pregnant, we were researching strawbale and this little girl was just a baby sitting on the exact same spot on the counter watching her mama cook. That vision triggered alot of fantasies for me I've zoned out on over the years so it was pretty trippy to see my little loin fruit playing here with her almost three years later and just so tickley to think that we too may finally be living out our strawbale house living in dreams.

So, it's cold and rainy now. That's okay. My Thursday night Knit Circle is back up and running now and I have me an itch to knit. Have one sock down and am good to go on its buddy. I bought a skein of Cherry Tree Hill superwash thinking one would be enough. Maybe it's the Monkey Sock pattern's pretty lace's yarn suckage that's costing me more yarn than anticipated but I may need to get me some more. Anyhow, I'm knitting with one sock on my foot to get my fingers going fasta Pussy Gato! It's nasty having one hot foot one cold.

Snippets Of Our New Hood

We're preparing ourselves for a move into our new abode. We finished getting the cork flooring installed (so much warmer and easier on the knees than the non-heated concrete), Edie's room will be painted tomorrow (at least started on) and now as soon as we can sell this house we can afford putting a dent into our long list of projects we have for the Happy Hacienda (Hacienda Ha Ha?). Until then we explore. Lots of elderberry to pick this time of year and lots of bushes on the property. I made juice with a batch I plan on freezing in icecube form for mid-winter immunity pick me up. The above picture's at the entrance to our house.

Edie led us on a hike this morning up our backyard. A beautiful cedar grove awaits up top. She already is familiar with the terrain; warning us when it gets slippy.

And through this section of ten feet tall ferns, at the very tippy-top...

A table that will see alot of Edie and Mommy's butts. And picnics. And tea parties. Speaking of parties, our next door neighbour holds an annual Fall Festival where Edie enjoyed...

Her first hot dog. Awwwww!

Good Morning

This rocky shore's around the bend from the Happy House. I bet your awoke this morning thinking I need to know more about this complex, mysterious character they call Kathy. Ten more things about me:

21. I'm a morning person for sure. Especially since Edie. Especially since it's pretty much the only time I can do whateva I want; namely drink coffee, online time, diddle daddle, create. So quiet, peaceful, full of light and promise.

22. I started life out with brown eyes then thought it was pretty cool how David Brenner's eyes turned green when he got mad and wished I had me some of that (the eyes and David Brenner) and now my eyes are greeny/hazel.

23. People often ask me if that's a Scottish accent I sport.

24. When I as three my older brother's friend had a birthmark on his leg I thought was pretty cool and I wished I had me some of that so I smeared Fudgescle tm   on my leg and threw a bandaid tm on top of that and now I have me some of that. This was all because he said it was his baby when I asked him whaz that?

25.  I've probably been employed by over thirty companies throughout my career. My career starting off at the tender age of fifteen at MacDonalds, then Burger King, Wendy's, A&W, Arby's, BullWinkles, Swiss Chalet, Cheesecake Cafe, Mongolie Grill, Videoholics and a bakery in Ottawa, several Calgary area restuarants, then oil companies, then temp agencies, advertising companies and finally self-employment as yoga teacher/hempress/spiritual home tasker. Can you hear Craig's eyes roll from where you're at?

26. My elbow can rotate my lower arm in a 360 degree rotation. Kind of like how Mr Roper's can (or was it Furly?) in Three's Company.

27. I don't wear jewellry. Can't even spell it. Haven't worn earrings forever except on my wedding day. Though I am getting big gorgeous necklace wantings seeing some around my friends' necks here that are to live for.

28. I say wicked alot but am working on that. My friend brought to my attention that it's mildly evil energy even though I'm saying it with a smile in my voice.

29. I like to say things with a smile in my voice (a Scottish smile apparantly) and hear things with smiles in there. Ask Craig.

30. My ears are sensitive and I like my ear lobes. Perhaps that's why I don't wear earrings.

Love Birds

This is me and Craigy this morning.

Mwhah, mmmmwah, mwhah (necking pecking sound effects).

Lovebirds in a tree. Sitting on swirly eggs. I wetfelted this and then needlefelted a touch and then embroidered some. Still trying to not make too much of a mess in this place  in case there be a showing of the house. Sewing makes too much of mess to contend with though I'm itchy to get my Fall 2007 collection going! So a wall hanging/butt pillow/oven mitt/hotplate it is.

And an update on Happy House (though I'm soooooo tempted to rename it Robin's hometown). We are installing cork flooring and oh. my. gawd. It's yummy. Yummy, yummy, yummy. We chose the Inca Gold finish. A nod to my Incan heritage. It has little mica sparkles in it. I will be painting the inside of the thick window sills in a shimmery bronze colour too to add some extra fairy dust to the place. I'm getting excited!

Walk this Shui

Before and...

...and after. Though the masonery stove was pretty it was uhhhggggggggg-ly in an energetic sense. Every family that has moved into this house has split up so far so it was necessary to take some serious precautions. First of all, this stove was sketchy. There were cracks on the outside and the inside was looking pretty shaky. I contacted the woman who was the original owner to ask who created the stove in case we can salvage it and she told me, with an emotional quiver in her voice, "get rid of it". Apparantly it's been the bone of contention between her and her now ex from the beginning so there was another reason to don sister sledgehammer to it. That and she told me it took forever to heat the house. Everyone knows Mama likes instant heat!

We went ahead and hired a professional Feng Shui practitioner/interior designer to ensure that we have the ultimate in intentions to rid the house of any leftover heartache residue to provide ourselves, the munchkin and any future Craiglettes the most harmonic and happiest of homes. She was amazing. Worth every penny and then some. Thus the new catagory name until we can come up with something half as snappy as Horniman Ranch. Until then, welcome to Happy House - this is the view from our freshly activated front door.