Sunday, November 30, 2014

yay... snow !!!

the weekend forecast called for some snow
and my children were so excited.
we rarely get the white, fluffy stuff 
in our corner of canada's west coast.

but...overnight,
we went from this 
(15 degrees celsius)...

to this...
( -1 degree celsius)


my daughter, 
still in her pajamas,
woke up and went straight out on to the back deck
to enjoy the glorious fluffiness of it all...



 it was magical !!!
she knew she had to enjoy it while it lasted
because all was green again by noon.

erica
xoxo

Saturday, November 29, 2014

technicolour poinsettias


i was at the local nursery,
and saw these technicolor poinsettias.

the shop owner says that
they were white poinsettias 
that have been dyed, sparkled, and glittered ?!?


what do you think?
i'm not too sure if i like them yet...
being a lover of colour and texture, i could get use to them... 
but i don't know about the glitter?!?


it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...
even in our green city of victoria
the temperature is suppose to drop over the weekend
and everyone is excited for the possibility of snow.

for now... 
for this season of family, friends and traditions
i think i'm sticking with 
the red ones. 
(and hold the glitter...please)


erica
xoxo

Friday, November 28, 2014

burning bush

yesterday,
the forecast was for buckets of rain, 
strong winds, and more gray skies.
instead, we ended up with a gorgeous, balmy day.


harlow and i 
went for a walk
and stumbled upon this
japanese maple in flame


for us islanders,
it is such a an autumn treat 
to see such reds, oranges and fushias

and then...
a couple of blocks later,
finding a rhodo already shooting out its first blooms.


wishing everyone a lovely friday.

erica
xoxo

Thursday, November 27, 2014

gratitude

as we express our
gratitude...
we must never
forget that the
highest 
appreciation is
not to utter
words, but to 
live by them.

john fitgerald kennedy


happy thanksgiving
to all my american friends !!!


erica
xoxo

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

thrifted threads: lavender



it was the winter we were in arizona... 
checking out the grand canyon,
when i walked into this lavender room, 
in a little pottery shop in sedona
and immediately made up my mind to paint our bedroom the same colour.

it took me ages to find the perfect tint
but once i did... i've never regretted it
the lavender is sooooo warm, cozy and lovely 
to wake up to and go to sleep in.

today, i'm wearing the exact (it's very, very close) same shade of lavender 
welcome to another "what i wore wednesday'


 this thrifted lavender turtleneck 
is a treasure i found a few of years ago
the pashmina was a birthday present from my daughter.


with all the rain that came down in the last couple of days, 
the weather has turned mild again.
 this sweater/shawl combination was all i needed 
to get my running around done.

happy hump day everyone !!!
erica
xoxo


joining lindsey

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

knitting and reading: 11/25/14

a library copy of nom nom paleo 
finally came in for me.

a couple of my friends have turned paleo
and have been posting several delectible delights 
from this cookbook on facebook.

it is a good one,
filled with beautiful pictures and
 a suprisingly large collection of vegetarian dishes.
her coconut pineapple rice is to die for !!!

i might just have to get myself a copy for christmas.


i finished unravelling a this thrifted sweater i found 
and used the yarn to knit another scarf.


the sweater was unwearable 
(at least i couldn't wear it)
and the yarn was too beautiful.
...so the unravelling process was so much fun.

the picture below shows the almost finished product
yup...it's another scarf.
did i mention i was a novice knitter????


however... here's some exciting news.
i just purchased some double pointed needles
and found myself a beginner's sock tutorial...
wish me luck !!!

erica
xoxo

joining nicole's crafting on  and ginny's yarn along

Monday, November 24, 2014

come on...fall...already !!!


we could hear the leaf pick up truck from two streets away
oh no... they are here already !!!

we have an english walnut tree in our back yard
that doesn't drop its leaves until a day or two before
 or sometimes the day of the city leaf pick up.

every november, late into the month, it's the same story.
we cross our fingers and hope that 
a strong wind will blow all those danglers down.

this past weekend was beautiful.
we had the perfect mix of sunshine and cool temperature
for working out in the yard

...and that was just what we did
(actually, it was mostly ian...because i was on simmering soup duty)

saturday and sunday afternoons were spent
raking, carrying leaves out to the curb 
and literally urging the remaining leaves to fall.

come on leaves...fall already !!!!!


poor harlow !!!
he had to be super patient for his afternoon walks.


most of the leaves (at least two thirds) made it to the curb...
and no...the leaf truck didn't come down our street,
so we have a few more days (i'm hoping...)


wishing you all a wonderful start to your week.

erica
xoxo

joining karen's weekends

Saturday, November 22, 2014

african aids angels


 both my teens came home starving yesterday...
with 50 other students from the high school's leadership program, 
they participated in a 28 hour famine.

in support of families in southern africa who are affected by hiv/aids,
they collected pledges from generous neighbours,
packed their pajamas and sleeping bags
and spent the night at the high school without food.

also as a group, they spent the evening playing games 
and making decorative angels 
which were then exchanged for donations.


the following morning, 
they went door to door (in the pouring rain)
 asking for can goods donations 
for the mustard seed food bank.

they had a very busy twenty eight hours.
needless to say, they were hungry, tired, and grumpy 
by the time i picked them up.

i wonder if they know how proud of them i am !!
i only told them a gazillion times.

erica
xoxo

Friday, November 21, 2014

moment 11/21/14

a moment

a friday ritual, a single photo, no words, capturing a moment from the week
a simple, special, extraordinary moment
i want to pause, savour and 
remember.


erica
xoxo

inspired by soulemama

Thursday, November 20, 2014

uvic....just around the corner

we visited the university of victoria the other day.
boy oh boy... it sure has changed since i graduated.
it was always such a beautiful university
but now, with the new library, engineering building, 
and almost finished gymnasium, 
it is such an exciting place to be.


while he still has a couple of years before finishing high school,
my son has already been thinking about universities and life after graduation.

his school has a wonderful planning program for grade eleven students.
so far, he has already researched, written an essay and 
presented on his career paths of interest.
now, he is currently compiling information on programs offered 
at the different universities of interest and looking at 
costs of living and studying if he chose to live in residence or at home.

isn't it wonderful?
thinking back, i don't recall figuring any of this out 
until well into my second year at western.


we had a wonderful time walking around the university grounds 
and exploring some of the buildings.
the recent renovations to the library are beautiful... 
so many cozy corners to sit and study for hours.
the walkabout brought back such good memories for me.

at this point, 
we are not sure if uvic is going to be his 
final choice for post secondary schooling.
his marks are high enough to guarantee him access to many.
but i've got my fingers crossed...

erica
xoxo

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

thrifted threads: purple scarf

hurray !!!
the purple scarf is finished

welcome to another 'what i wore wednesday' 
when i link up with lindsey for some fashion inspiration

after finding some thrifted yarn... 
my knitting needles were quick to knit this simple scarf
it didn't take long, even though i am not a very fast knitter.

it was such a fun and easy project to do
and wearing it has been just as much fun.


as you can see, 
i wore the scarf three ways... 
i'm so glad that it was long enough for a full wrap around the neck.

i paired with an old crew neck cotton pullover that i've had for years, 
it was the perfect purple match !!!

i'm definitely a lover of scarves.
needless to say, my knitting needles currently busy with another one.


erica
xoxo

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

knitting and reading 11/18/14


my knitting needles 
are almost done with this project
just in time for the gift giving holiday, if i'm lucky...

it is a blanket i started almost a year ago, 
the second picture shows the length i've knitted so far

it is made of yarn from thrifted scarves that i've unraveled, 
left over balls from my knitting basket, 
and some that i found in thrift shops bins
all in that blue, grey, tone...

the book is mark repo's book of awakening
i stumbled upon the title 
while browsing through oprah magazine while at the dentist.
nepo's writing is captivating...
a beautiful read if you are looking for one !!!


what are you knitting and reading ?

erica
xoxo


joining nicole's crafting on and ginny's yarn along