cheating

Sadie spent the weekend at her Grampa's, so I broke down and cheated on her. I baked Martha Stewart's Oatmeal Raisin cookies. With butter. And eggs. Oh my, were they good.

Don't get me wrong, vegan baking is pretty yummy and it certainly makes my little girl's life more enjoyable. But the smell of butter baking was something I had completely forgotten. You'd think Jay and I would have taken the opportunity to go out for dinner or do something romantic, but this was our indulgence. Uninterrupted studio time and a plate of warm cookies.

Delightful.

a good name

There was one more project I decided to finish during my week off, and I admit it had been sitting around for over 3 years. I started the "Sadie" embroidery when she was just a baby. I think part of the hold up was actually knowing what I was going to make, but after finishing the potholders I was eager to use more binding tape. Jay wasn't so keen on the country look of the little quilt, but Sadie was pretty pleased with it. She and I decided together to hang it above her bed and that seemed impetus enough to finally stick her butterflies on the wall (I found them at Polka Dot Kids gave them to her last Christmas). I think it makes a cute little vignette above her bed, and furthers my obsession with combining as many pinks/reds/purples as I can in her room. So far there isn't a single shade that hasn't worked. Seriously.

Now on to holiday gifts - which will have to stay secret until after the giving happens. As it is I'm trying to do some sleuth knitting in Jay's company...though the guy is clever enough to figure it out. Well, maybe.

double dose

Potholders did the trick, not to mention pulling together a pretty yummy soup. I may not be completely free of my thoughts, but it was a relaxing week and I spent a lot of time puttering around in my studio/half-a-bedroom workspace. These potholders were such a snap to finish, I don't know why I waited so long! I remembered reading on Soulemama about using the casing tape tool, and wow, does it ever work. These bound edges were easy and are so much better than how I used to do them. And talk about practical - we have used these potholders every single day since...mainly as mini placements, but hey, that's what practical is.

I have had an intense craving for the vegetarian hot and sour soup that Indochine makes, but being at home, I had no desire to travel close to the office to pick some up. So, I looked around and tried a slightly modifed version of this recipe. At least I have figured out the secret to what makes the Indochine soup special - it's Vietnamese, and not the Chinese version that Google has been showing me in many of my past searches (well, I can't really blame Google, I was just fairly daft about it). I just love that it has tomatoes and pineapple and a clear tamarind-flavoured broth, but I didn't have broccoli at home so I'm missing a bit of green in mine. In the end it was a decent soup, but no where near what Indochine serves. Hmm, I guess I still have the craving, and just talking about it is making me hungry.

Damn it.

momentary block

Today I found my first white (not gray, but completely and utterly white) hair. At 34 maybe I'm lucky to have made it this far without some sign of graying, and I'm not really complaining. There's just something about finding it that has thrown my thoughts into chaos this afternoon. Luckily I'm at home by myself, starting a week of R&R from work, so I can indulge the thoughts as long as I keep busy. (Pause to mention that Jay's alarm clock just went off for no good reason, at 3:59pm. Is that a sign I should stop this post? Wake up? Hmmm.)

The photo above is of a fantastic set of blocks that I was given last year, and it seemed fitting to show it today because my mind is blocking out ideas and philosophies trying to make sense of a pattern or at least a clear direction. Even when these blocks are haphazardly organized, they are stunning to look at because the design, fonts and colours are just sublime. Luckily my ideas and thoughts are all positive and I'm trying my best to keep them that way. It has been a very busy year at work and I've had many responsibilities added to my plate and some days I just wonder if I'm happy with that direction. Most often I will say yes, but there are those moments when I feel nostalgic for the artist I wanted to be, or the designer, the teacher, the something else I may have become if paying off my education and then providing for my family hadn't become my M.O. But as soon as I put those words onto the screen, I feel I need to scream out, I know I am very, very lucky to have a job in a creative field surrounded by people who make going to work a joy.

We're allowed these weak moments, right? Perhaps I'll blame it all on the single white hair falling onto my forehead, and drag myself upstairs to finish some potholders I started about 6 months ago. Completing a project is surely the best medicine I know.

butterfly magic

I heart Hallowe'en. I also heart taking the day off work to help Sadie with her costume and walk her to JK. Jay and I both walked her there and back, and man, do I ever wish I could do that more often. The fact that it was 19 degrees outside was a nice bonus too.

As for the costume, Sadie changed her mind Hallowe'en morning, so we no longer had to figure out the Cat-Princess-Bunny idea (not that I was against it!). A butterfly was fairly straightforward, and she was game for making her hair into antennae. I used fairly thin gauge wire, and it held her braids up for 9 hours, making it a surefire costume hit. And what a difference one year made - last year Sadie screamed at masks and only visited one house, but at age 4, she wasn't scared of anything and wanted to walk up to every house for her share of candy. We finally convinced her to help us hand out candy which she took very seriously, giving us a break from being alone on the porch.

It was a great night. Did I mention I heart Hallowe'en?

sewing mishap #635

I've done it again. Even though I used a pattern, I've made a shirt fit for a pregnant woman.

The pattern was easy (Simplicity 2931), and I was really happy with the shirt until Jay caught sight of it. He just laughed and asked why I'm so drawn to puffy, baggy clothes. Sure, empire waists are in, as are gathers and flowing tops, but still, it seems this shirt pushes the limits. In its favour, it is very comfortable and I love the deep chocolate brown of the corduroy (thank you Superbuzzy). But speaking of corduroy, that's probably the main reason why it's too puffy. Oh well. A lightweight cotton or linen would probably turn out better but I think I'll move on to another pattern.

Or stop sewing altogether. Yeah, that's it.

lantern tricks

Last year I announced to Jay that Hallowe'en was the one "holiday" I was going to purposely decorate for. Luckily, he didn't mind the idea and even helped out. And where last year's attempt was a little haphazard, this year is completely different. I heart these Jack-O-Lantern lanterns.

I wish I could take credit for them, but truthfully, I saw similar lanterns in a store window that came with faces already printed on. My trick was to buy plain orange lanterns (a fun trip for Jay, Sadie and me to Chinatown last weekend) and draw our own faces on them. Sadie drew one all by herself and helped out quite a bit filling in the bigger faces. Then I found this string of copper ball lights that my Mom gave me last year, which couldn't have been more perfectly suited. The lanterns just clip on to the top of the copper light, and I spaced the lanterns to leave other lights exposed. At night, the shadows that the copper strips produce add an eerie feeling to the lanterns that they just don't have during the day. Then some orange and black-and-white polka dotted ribbon on the door, and voila, we have a Hallowe'en porch. All that is left is the real Jack-O-Lantern, but he won't make his appearance until Hallowe'en night. I'm loving this "holiday" so much I'm even going to take the day off work.

I mean, someone has to be here to walk the 4 year old Cat-Princess-Bunny to school in her costume.

word pile up

The benefit of starting the Canadian Reading Challenge on time this year is that I don't feel rushed to get through my list. On the flipside, I haven't been very successful posting about reading. I have finished another 3 Canadian novels since I last wrote, but I fear that waiting so long to write about them means I may forget the details that stood out. On top of that, I've fit other books in between, namely books about design and advertising (see the top of the book pile for example) which make my recall even harder.

The Body's Place by Elise Turcotte: This was a swift read. Even though character details were sparse, the tension that the author created was well crafted and it lead to a riveting ending. The story is told through a 15 year old girl, but it is actually the story of the three children in her family. On the outside the family seems typical, living through a dull suburban existence. What is underneath the veneer however, is a broken marriage that impacts each child in totally different ways.

Streak of Luck by Richelle Kosar: I already passed this one on to my mom, forgetting I would want a photo of it. Like The Body's Place, this came in my $5 book bag from Comorant last year at Word on the Street. Another story about a family, told through three female characters (the mother and two daughters). Most of the story is set in Toronto, and so I enjoyed the familiar details of my city. There were moments when I absolutely cringed; the family is perpetually down on their luck, yet I never felt truly sorry for them as it seemed clear it was the parents' decisions that were responsible for their situation. And the ending surprised me, leaving me totally satisfied. Overall, a good read.

Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark: Yes, I loved An Audience of Chairs more, but this novel was a pretty close second. I'm so thankful Ragdoll introduced me to Joan Clark. East coast stories are particularly charming to me, and the main character, Aurora, was another woman I was drawn to. Her story begins when she is found as a baby, floating on an ice floe, suspected to be a Titanic survivor. We watch her grow up, get married, have children and live out her life in her favourite Newfoundland. I loved everything about the story, but it's funny that sometime last year I checked out a few pages while in a bookstore and a passage upset me so much that I really had to talk myself into giving it a chance this year. The passage was about the birth of Aurora's son, and how her 6 year old daughter reacted. The birth had been hard so Aurora was hospitalized for 6 weeks. In that time her daughter's allegiance switched from Aurora to her father, and until the daughter was middle-aged it never once turned back. It hurt my heart to think that a child's love could be so temporary, and that an unforeseen absence could have such a devastating effect (not to mention totally freak me out about the prospect of having a second child while Sadie and I are so close). But clearly I got over it, and it was a wonderful novel. I heart Joan Clark, and highly recommend her to everyone.

So there is my second round-up of book reviews and still no sign of a knitting comparison. It could be due to the fact that every knitting project I take on these days takes me forever, but I still intend to get back into the habit. I just need my knitting mojo back. The leaves are falling, surely that should be enough, right?

birthday girl

A certain little girl turned 4 yesterday. In one word, wow. I have no idea where those 4 years went, but at the same time I can hardly remember that this person was a baby. She has grown into someone who charms me every day with her sweet and relaxed personality, along with the occasional practical joke. To illustrate her budding humour, here is an example: on the way home one day Sadie told Jay that she had made friends with Tallulah in her JK class. Excited by the name, Jay then told her the story of how our cat Ellie was named Tallulah for a day until we realized it didn't suit her. So, Jay and Sadie get home and Jay tells me that Sadie has a new friend. I ask about it and Sadie tells me her name is Tallulah. Just like Jay I start telling the story of Ellie's name, but Jay says he's already told the story and Sadie gives me an "oh Mommy!". Fast forward an hour and the three of us are sitting around the kitchen table finishing dinner and Jay says to Sadie that he just loves that there's a girl named Tallulah in her class. Sadie looks at him with a knowing smirk and says, "there's no Tallulah in my class". Confused, I look at her and ask "what do you mean?" and she responds, without missing a beat, "I was only joking". We erupted with laughter. She played us - both of us! - for over an hour. We couldn't believe that she actually planned and followed through with a joke. I better be careful with this one, as if watching out for Jay's traps wasn't enough.

So that's my girl. Enchanting, funny and growing up way too fast. Insert the typical Mommy sigh here.

word on the street

Boy, have I ever become a book girl - and Sadie is my little book-girl-in-training. The two of us went to Word on the Street on Sunday and filled our book bag in record time. I think I've figured out a good system - kids books first so that Sadie can read something in the stroller while I find the few publishers with either good deals or just plain good books. My stops of note were: Coach House Books (poetry by RM Vaughan), Anansi (poetry by Ken Babstock and Dear Gabriel) and Insomniac Press (fiction and non-fiction, including a very enlightenting Lover's Tongue).

There is something so fantastic about a book fair at the end of September. On the cusp of Autumn, it's like stocking up on words for the winter. And this year's funny experience? Being interviewed while we sat on the grass and then quoted in this Toronto Star article. I laughed out loud when I read that Sadie and I were considered "two traditionalists". It's a Mommy moment I'll hold on to for, oh, about the rest of my life.

(P.S. Too funny! As I was grabbing the link for the Star article, I found that Quill&Quire's blog used the interview too. Suddenly I feel pegged devoutly anti-Sony Reader!)