fun stuff :03/31/15

knitting:  

the scrappy fuchsia blanket is half way there !!

it is the hardest colour to photograph,

the fuchsia seems to glitter under sunlight?!?!

reading:

i'm still reading semple's where'd you go, bernadette, 

i leave a copy in my backpack so i can read it while riding the stationary bike at the gym.

meanwhile, david nicholl's us sits on the top of the collection of books on my night stand. 

both are such fun easy reads... 

did you know that maria semple wrote 

for 'mad about you' and 'arrested development' ?

two of my favourite sitcoms.

i'm about half way through both and would highly recommend them for your list.

so much to knit...

so much to read...

can life get any better???

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

hello monday; 03/30/15

hello monday and another brand new week

i wonder what gifts and surprises you will bring???

i love mondays because 

they offer a chance to hit refresh,

to see with a new perspective,

and approach the things we need to do with renewed vigor.

hello chocolate hunt...i'm off to hunt for some good easter chocolate.  my children loves the stuff and have acquired expensive taste for it.  i don't mind one bit...it's a great 'quality over quantity' learning opportunity.

hello grandma... ian's mom arrives this week for a visit.  nova scotia has been buried in metres of snow and she is more than ready for spring blooms.  i hope my garden of weed'en doesn't disappoint?!?

hello open windows and fresh air...just lately, we have been sleeping with the window cracked open.  all that oxygen helps make wonderful dreams.

hello getting back into a rhythm with grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and working out (training to be a domestic goddess sure is hard work but someone's gotta do it!!!)

hello bird of paradise... i was calling these beautiful plants we found in california 'rooster plant' until one of my friends corrected me.  aren't they just stunning?

hello friends... what are you saying hello to this week???

erica

xoxo

joining lisa

pajama weekend

                           having plans

                           sounds like 

                           a good idea

                           until you

                           have to

                           put on

                           clothes

                           and leave

                           your 

                           house.

                                - anonymous

this was exactly me/us yesterday!!!
we had so many plans...going for bubble tea,  touring a local garden, checking out moss st. market, meeting up with friends for coffee, mowing the lawn, and on and on
they all sounded fun and do-able and were made with great intention but none of them happened.

instead, i cozied up with my knitting, my audio book (year of wonders, by geraldine brooks), my huge mug of coffee and some occasional chocolates while ian snuggled beside me doing research on the internet (all pleasure, no work).

the kids slept in till almost one and then surfed the almighty netflix before they realized they were starving, by this time it was almost dinner time (whoever said feeding teens was expensive?).

clearly, we are all still recuperating from our recent travel adventures and our molecular selves refuse to get out of pajamas.

even harlow seemed happy to forgo his long walk to the beach and was content with short little jaunts around the block in between long naps on the deck.

the couchy-ness of the day was heavenly!!! 
the blanket that i'm knitting grew and i found myself pressing replay on the c.d. player a few times after realizing i've napped through several chapters in the book.

today, besides omelet for breakfast, nothing is on the agenda.
...well, maybe changing into new pajamas????



erica
xoxo

joining karen

beetles

punch buggy

no punch back !!! (3x)

erica

xoxo

have a great weekend !!!

moment: 03/27/15

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

oriah amongst the magnolia

the invitation  

                    by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

it doesn't interest me what you do for a living.  i want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

it doesn't interest me how old you are.  i want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

it doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.  i want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayal or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

i want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

i want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own;  if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

it doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.  i want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.  if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

i want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty everyday, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

i want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'yes'.

it doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.  i want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

it doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.  i want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

it doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. i want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

i want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

erica

xoxo

(p.s. this is one of my favourites...i'm working hard to put it to memory)

thrifted threads: black and flowers

it's another 'what i wore wednesday'

i'm linking up with lindsey for some fashion fun.

it has been a busy couple of days since we got back from holidays.

i had a lot of running around to do to get settled in but i'm getting there.

the weather in victoria is much cooler than sunny california

so i'm back in my favourite black woolly sweater 

(you've seen this one tons before...)

and

a pair of colourful floral pants 

to celebrate spring!!!

the pants were from a 300 peso rack in puerto vallarta,

purchased a couple of years ago.

at that price (300 peso = $3), my daughter and i each bought a couple.

they are so much fun and super comfy to wear.

i pull them out every spring

in order to blend in with the blooms in victoria.

happy hump day everyone !!!

erica

xoxo

fun stuff: 03/24/15

knitting:  

the fuchsia scrappy blanket continues to grow !

i'm being adventurous and adding 

some robins egg blues and golden mustards to the mix...

you might not be able to see them...because i've introduced them very thinly.

reading:

i just (three hours ago) picked up a copy of 

maria semple's where'd you go, bernadette

i am two weeks behind the rest of my book club because i didn't manage to do the pick-up before going on holidays. but i've started and think that it is hilarious so far... 

but here is a testimonial from tricia, from my book club,  

"i'm enjoying it very much, hard to put down !!'"

(trica and i have very similar taste in books)

what are you reading and knitting?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams

hello monday 03/23/15

i am back from holidays... feeling rested, refreshed and ready.

hello friends, welcome to 'hello monday' 

where i link up with lisa 

and greet the brand new week and all its wonderful gifts.

hello back to school and back to work... march break is over for another year and our bouquet of pencils have been re-sharpened for a brand new term at school.  

hello clean house... after living out of a suitcase and in motels and hotels for two weeks, i tackled our home with renewed energy to clean, scrub and and even organize little corners.  for once, cleaning was like an endorphine rush (or maybe it's also because my mom-in-law is coming to visit in just over a week)

hello finished laundry... we each took only one small suitcase and that amounted to only two loads after two weeks (all washed and  already hung to dry)...imagine if we could live out of a different suitcase for a week, 52 weeks of the year?

hello meeting up with friends... i've booked coffee/tea meet-ups with some friends later today and more this week.  there is so much to catch up on...if only they would read my blog!!!

hello mowing the lawn...spring sprung in victoria a month ago and even then, we ignored our fast-growing lawn.  our neighbours told us that we missed a lot of rain while we were away. every thing in the yard has doubled in size since we left, especially the grass.

hello sorting travel pictures... i took almost three thousand pictures during our trip... the deletable ones i've already deleted.  don't you just love going through holiday pictures and reliving all the beautiful moments?

hello backyard... the forecast  for the next couple of days is for sun.  guess where i'm gonna be? here's a little hint. (it doesn't look quite like that yet but it's getting there...)

wishing you a beautiful start to your week!!!

erica

xoxo

home at last...

caught the 7 o'clock ferry home...

and no... my kids do not like ice cream !?!

erica

xoxo


...some souvenirs 

couldn't resist raiding the hotel bathroom (LOL)

last stop: portland

hello from portland (again)

we are almost home!!!

we made good time on the interstate 5 

but decided to break for the night again in portland.

after checking in, we went straight to the city's fabulous food trucks...

and then a quick stroll through the pearl district and its beautiful sidewalks.

 this city is one of my favorites to visit 

and i'm glad we spent the evening being portlandians!!

my peeps are still sleeping as i blog this... 

but right after breakfast is served i hope to convince them to go to the farmers market being held a couple of blocks from where we are staying 
(how lucky is that????)

next time i check in... i'll be home !!!

wishing you all a beautiful start to your weekend

erica

xoxo

did you see the colour of the chard????

moment: 03/20/15

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

travelling tight and light

the journey changes you

-it should change you.

it leaves marks on your memory,

on your consciousness,

on your heart,

and on your body.

you take something with you...

hopefully, you leave

something good behind.

                   - anthony bourdain

our little holiday down the west coast is almost over

we are heading north today and should be home by/before the weekend.

it has been quite the adventure!!!

we've seen lots of beautiful sceneries and spectacular hikes,

met and talked to so many friendly people,

 found comfort and rest in so many different motel/hotel rooms,

stopped in so many eateries, grocery stores, corner stores to fill our hungry bellies,

and discovered so many yummy gelato stands.

we've been a travelling unit since the kids were babies...

and now, harlow is usually with us unless we have to fly.

being confined in small spaces throughout this trip, 

we were forced to travel tight and light!!

(we drove down in a hyundai sonata, shared one room accommodations, and only one suitcase each),

but through all this tightness and lightness...

we have learned more about each other (the kids tell me i snore...as if ?!?),
  how to give each other space (both physically and mentally),

how to be patient and how to comfort each other,

and how to enjoy each other's company.

it's the kind of stuff we kinda already knew but still need a lot of practise with.

yup... it's been a lot of fun but this momma is ready to go home!!!

erica

xoxo

p.s.  we found this gorgeous tiled concrete sitting area on our walk into the town of healdsburg... don't you love the red phone???