While Tangerine Dreams

These Things Come in Threes...

...right? What a week it's been.

Crisis Number One: the internet router (sp?) is broken in our house preventing me from blogging - one of my favourite pastimes if we're ll going to be honest here. So here I sit in the local restaurant/ community hub using my lap top for the first time in public and feel kind of freaky about it (I'm kind of in the Land of Luddites). And now, something's new with Typepad it seems. The set up is different so please excuse me if this photo comes out humungo. I don't have much time, I went to a prenatal yoga class early this morning and haven't  been home since and if I don't get there soon there might be a search party out for me (though it won't be much of party, I practically live here, especially these days - the grocery store's attached to the restaurant).

Crisis Number Two: I had a very interesting four days at an ashram not too far away from here. A piece of paradise with non-stop chanting, meditating, yoga and minimal opportunities for conversation which fostered alot of spiritual-type growth. I came home all open to taking on any life challenge with the assistance of these newly rediscovered mind-quieting tools and missing Edie like crazy. Two hours after our tearful reunion (okay, my tears) I dislocate her sweet little elbow. We spent the whole day Tuesday in two different hospitals, forbidding her any food or liquid (not even water was allowed!) incase they had to operate. It was hell-ish but she's totally fine now  - actually like never nothing ever happened really. Funny how the Universe tested me on that one.

Crisis/Universal Test Number Three: Day after the hospital fiasco I spilled an entire gallon of milk into the back seat of our car. An entire gallon of spring pastured fed cow milk. Can you say pungent? So I had to trek to "town" yesterday (my day off- ugh!) to deal with some kind of shampoo vacuum angel.

I got to run. Family's probably what happened to mama. Much love.

Farm I See

 
I know, my puns are getting weaker and weaker; I'll blame it on the hormones like everything else. Our little not-so-underground-anymore (they asked me to take pictures for the local paper - you know, because they know about the blog now  - kidding! Because I was the only nerd with a camera) farmer's coalition meeting this weekend encompassed a tour of these two member's farm. It was really quite outstanding. The husband having been born on the homestead in a little cabin still standing there across the garden way and his parents have been farming there forever so everything is super established. The amount of food they produce is inspiring. They only spend about $100 a month on toilet paper I think they said (don't drink the water from the tap). We had our usual amazing potluck and our hosts brought to the table borscht made with only ingredients they grew or raised, fresh baked multi-grain bread and the most amazing canned peaches straight from their orchid. It was heaven. Among the eye candy we saw ducks, chickens, beehives, cows...

...cutes looking at cows...

... and cutes hiding under their mamas' new skirts they just made.

This is the under skirt I wore to the tour and I then finished the apron overlay on Sunday just in time for our dinner guests' arrival (can you tell my energy's creeping back?) but haven't had a chance/keep forgetting to get a picture of it. Chances are good it will happen soon since I've been wearing it everyday since (well, it's only been two days this morning I guess, but I want to wear it everyday). And that's my girl, Peggy! She's my sewing/knit buddy and I'm her cake tester. She makes amazing cake. AND, she's the farmer behind the famous Fabulous Farms. Her fabulousness has been captured here before. Oh yeah, she's a natural building specialist, too. She helped us finish some plastering in our house before we moved in here. There's nothing this woman can't do!

Garden Hoe

It's been a dreary week but it's promising to be a scorcher of a weekend. Perfect for gardening. Unless it's too hot. Man, I'm picky these days. I'm looking forward to sewing up another gardening outfit. Turns out we're going to take care of our next door neighbor's garden as they'll be away this summer. This works out just fine for we're just working on getting our soil establish, saving up for some serious deer fencing to keep our pet deer out and general need to get organized.

So this works out for all parties involved. This garden's a short, magical stroll/tricycle ride away and is nicely established and brimming with strawberries, raspberries and a cozy vine-covered gazebo that grows tasty grapes that will also nicely shade Edie's turtle sandbox.

And the progression of the Happy House garden. Craig rototilled a large circle (ooooo, circles!) around the pre-pubescent maple tree and (now) we're thinking of overlapping circles around and around, kind of like Olympic rings (not to get all controversial).

One of the many original plans that have been scrapped. But the fun is in the process and team-building exercises, right? Here's a fun website for other garden hoes. Happy gardening/gardening outfit making!

Sewing and other Kneads

It's been a fine, fine week. I had a cold last week, nothing too gnarly but  enough to be ugh-ing it and wondering when exactly does the first trimester end so I can feel like my normal self again!!!? I knew once the cold fades away i should be out of this hormonal hangover and sure enough these days I feel pretty darn tootin' good comparatively. Yay - because I have a whole whack of spring projects lined up and I'm raring to go. To celebrate, my friend Kimberly came over and gave the whole family a massage. Edie went first...

And then she promptly fell asleep about five minutes after this second picture was taken. Craig carried her to the couch where she woke up and was upset because she didn't get her 'face cheeks' massaged yet. Luckily she got her other cheeks massaged as she was so looking forward to. Kimberly had a pregnancy pillow so I could lay face down for 45 minutes without having the bun squished. I'm only thirteen weeks along (today, actually) but I'm totally showing and feeling something squishable already.

Still, the only crafting that's talking to me these days is sewing. And I have my (and Edie's) Spring 2008 collection to get started on. I have a few projects I'd like to crank out sooner than later and have some ideas that are a little more realistic (after spending a day in garden) and practical for what my my day to day routine and girth are bound to dictate.

The Barcelona Skirt has been in my collection plan pre-Drippy Head so I had to adjust the skirt pattern to make it a medium at the waist and small at the hips. As a Mother's Day gift Craig took us out for brunch then made himself and Edie scarce to help me get some sewing out of my system. I was able to get the A-line skirt done today. I'm washing some paisley cotton I found at this year's Yard and Yardage sale to use as the apron over-lay's trim. Skirt fits great. For now anyway.

And for Edie, I was inspired by the ever inspirational Soulemama, she made her sweet little girl this bubble dress. There is an Oliver + S a tea party dress that will be whipped up from some Strawberry Shortcake (Edie's alias) cotton we found at fabric land. She's big into tea parties these days too. Maybe her next birthday  will be a tea party at a massage parlour.

I have all the Built By Wendy patterns now too. Thanks to a $1.99 Simplicity pattern sale at Fabricland. This project has been inspired by America's Next Crafty Model, Leya. She made this cute version of it last month and just, ugh! So cute! Spring makes me want to sproing around in dresses all season long.

There's so much more. But I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, especially with my cravings being so shifty right now. Maybe next week I'll be into macrame.

Seven Days of Nourishment: Day 5

It was that time of year again. The day that marks the beginning of spring in this town. A day that celebrates the abundance and sacredness that is our water. The May Day parade starts the day off after a couple of hours of face-painting and dressing up and then we hit the road in procession to samba music to the river and back to downtown Winlove. Party afterwards that we were able to hear going on from our bedroom well past mid-night.

Things that nourish me: community. You won't believe how many pregnant mamas are here in this town right now. My friend says to me at the May Day festivities how it must feel so good to know that there is a baby growing in my tummy that will be raised in such a conscious community. This is totally the sentiment I felt with Edie in my tum.

I love, love, love this town. The list of why just keeps on growing. Edie's still a little bit part Cling-on of course, but this year she was cruising around the festivities on a tricycle, weaving in and out of various legs. Such a joy to know that everyone's watching out for everyone else's kids, familiar faces everywhere, such good hearts all around. Love this day, this day of gratitude. We're truly blessed.

Hmmm.... what doesn't nourish Mama these days? Excess noise. We had the final day of our Parenting as a Spiritual Practice yesterday. I loved that course. See what Nourishes Me No. 5 for main reason why. We had an excercise to make a commitment to our partner on what we want to change, in terms of modeling, for the benefit of our children. It was funny we had to make one but we were going on and on back and forth with each other and even when we were told to stop I kept thinking of things whispering them to him. But the main one was to make a more peaceful home in terms of noise pollution. I'm a radio junkie; always have CBC on for background noise. I suppose that might come from growing up in a house that always seemed to have to a tv on. But it feels good already to have some quiet around here and try to break that one pattern.