thrifted threads: mauve

welcome to another"what i wore wednesday"

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

have you turned up your thermostat dial yet?

i've been so tempted these past few early mornings...but have not.

instead, i let the kettle boil just a bit longer and make my morning coffee scalding hot.

also...i cozy into extra warm, extra long sweaters like this mauve one.

like 99.999% of my wardrobe...the sweater is a thrifted piece 

that i picked up for a couple of dollars.

while our days have been starting off in the chilly side,

the afternoons are so warm and mild.

yesterday, harlow and i walked to the public rose gardens at government house.

it is almost october...yet the roses are still stunning !!

the roses put on such a good show (and for such a long time),

i think we will go back today and pay them another visit.

wishing you all a very lovely wednesday !!!

erica

xoxo

fun stuff: backyard knits

the fall has brought us some wonderful sunshine and warmish weather

so i took my blankets out to the backyard 

for a couple of rows and a photo shoot...

yup...the grass needs mowing again?!?!

i finished matthew thomas' we are not ourselves...i couldn't put it down.

the story is long but the author takes the reader deep into the lives of the characters.

i have to admit that the reason i couldn't put it down was because it was exactly the type of life i don't want or would ever dream of having.  

throughout the whole book, i found myself reaffirming the choices in the type of lifestyle i've picked for myself and my family.

i also just finished reading muriel spark's the prime of miss jean brodie

after all the feminist literature i read for university...

i was surprised to have missed this classic.

it is a great read, especially for mothers of young girls.

and if you haven't watched it, 

the little mini-tv-series starring geraldine mcewan is fantastic !!!

i've yet to watch the movie version starring maggie smith.

finally, for bookclub... we are reading station eleven.

i just started but i already know i am not going to get much done this week... i can't put it down, it is really, really good so far.

what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

weekending

our weekend

was all 

knitting, chess, soccer, and moonscapes...

with lots of napping, walking 
and comfy/cozy togetherness in between !!!

erica

xoxo

joining karen

TGIF

zip-a-dee-doo-dah, 

zip-a-dee-ay

my, oh my, 

what a wonderful day  !!

                                                  

                                                   - allie wrubel, ray gilbert

happy friday folks !!!

erica

xoxo

personal space

please kindly

go away,

i'm

introverting.

                             

               - beth l. buelow

with all the excitement of a brand new school year starting and
new projects at work and at home...
we (even the most extroverted of the four of us) are introverting just a little bit.
after school, a quick snack and hello then straight to their bedrooms they go (doors closing ever so firmly)

being one of six siblings, i didn't have a bedroom of my own until university...so i spent my teenage years carving out personal space by claiming the dining room table as my own work space as soon as everyone was done eating.

today, although our home is small (a 888 square feet at the most) i'm so grateful for the rooms in it that allow us to recharge our batteries, the walls that provide each of us a chance to be quiet and reflective, and the doors that say "i just like to be alone".

by supper time...
everyone (even harlow) is clamoring to share the highlights of their day.

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: september wooly

welcome to 'what i wore wednesday'

today, i'm linking up with lindsey and the ladies for some fashion fun.

the clear skies and sunny days are back

and with them came the cool temperatures.

i spent all day yesterday puttering around in this wooly pullover (thrifted)

and got an amazing amount done.

it has been super, crazy, busy (mostly, in a good way) around here.

septembers are always like that...don't you agree?

finally, things are calming down and anxiety levels are normalizing

as we settle into routine.

you know what they say...

that the early part of motherhood is mostly physical 

(breastfeeding, carrying, cradleling, sleep-self depriving)

 and the latter is psychological (teenage angst, rebel without a cause, curfew negotiations, and those drug/sex/alcohol talks- that my own parents forgot to give me),

well...i'm definitely in the psychological arena of fun and games now !!!

even with all its challenges...

life is good,

especially when i'm warm and comfortable 

in my september wooly.

wishing you all a wonderful wednesday !!!

erica

xoxo

fun stuff: after the switch

i've switched the locations of my knitting baskets

and my once neglected yellow/pink blanket is now gaining some length.

look...only a few more rows and they are almost the same size.

 i couldn't finish lori lansen's the mountain story in time - darn those seven day reads!!!  i've place it on hold and hope to get a copy to finish with.

meanwhile, a copy of matthew thomas' we are not ourselves came in to fill the void.

i'm finding the story quite depressing but for some reason can't put it down!?! 

(no spoilers here !!!)

what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

reconnecting

the trees 

are about to show us

how lovely it is

to let things go

                -pinterest

the air has turned crisp and
the leaves are starting to fall around here...
this is my favourite season of the year !!

it's been another weekend of reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones

my bookclub met up on friday night...i haven't seen these ladies allll summer and there was a lot of catching up to do (with all the news to be shared...i think we actually talked about the book for a total of five minutes...HA)

the showers stopped and the skies cleared up just in time for our block/neighbourhood party last night.  we have lived on this block for almost 19 years and many of our neighbours have become good friends.  last night, we met and welcomed several young families (such wonderful new energy for our block...along with great food to share, they brought their toddlers and tricycles and puppies to the party)

today,

i'm up early to walk the dog and to write this post

after a workout...my day is open and full of possibilities !!!

erica

xoxo

afternoon delight

every day

rain or shine

sprinting, full of energy 

or slowly, waiting for the afternoon coffee to kick in.

he leads the way...knowing where to turn, when to slow down 

and wait for me to cross the road.

on good days... we come across the resident deer family grazing.

on really really good days...we catch up with our favourite mail persons

 with bags full of mail and their pockets full of treats.

it's all on the timing you see?!?

my mid-day walk with harlow,

a little afternoon delight !!

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: snap out of it

welcome to 'what i wore wednesday'

today, i'm linking up with lindsey and the ladies for some fashion inspiration.

the weather has definitely cooled down around here

everyone is slowly layering up to stay warm and cozy

i've even spotted a few passer byes sporting toques and scarves (eeek!!)

yesterday was a chore day for me - so my outfit consisted of 

an easy pull-over and shorts (both thrifted) 

...oh, and i added a necklace just for fun !!

i started these thrifted thread posts 

because lindsey's objective behind it really resonated with me

"i started this originally as motivation to get out of my daily uniform of jammies or sweats, but now i am encouraged and held accountable to put a few extra minutes aside for myself"

after everyone in the house has left for school or work...i usually start my day with a workout.  life got busy (excuses, excuses) and i found myself living in gym apparel for the rest of the day (all week...all month...all year)

these postings really did snap me out of that trend.

also...it's a great reason for me to make my bed!!!

happy hump day everyone !!!

erica

xoxo

fun stuff: not playing favourites

one blanket is definitely growing faster than the other

but no...i'm not playing favourites !!

since the colours of the blankets are from the opposite ends of the spectrum

a couple of readers/commenters have asked

 if i work on either one depending on my mood.

my answer to this is...

i don't tend to knit by mood but by light.

my knitting baskets are in two of the best knitting spots in our home:

one by a north facing window and a cd player,

and another by a south/west facing window and a radio.

both locations get wonderful light and beautiful music...but

 one is more socially centred than the other.

lately, i've been busy visiting with friends and neighbours dropping by, talking on the phone, chatting with my kids and their friends about their classes...can you guess which blanket basket sits by the couch in the living room and which one sits in my own little hideaway corner (a.k.a. my side of the bedroom)?

after writing this post...i am going to switch the baskets around.

i am still reading lori lansens' the mountain story.

although i'm only a third into the book...i'm not as captivated by the story line as i was with her earlier titles (however...i'm going to keep going to see if it gets better?!?)

i've also picked up another book by cecile andrews:  slow is beautiful 

 i'm so glad to have found more of her work because

 i couldn't get enough of her writing from the circle of simplicity

my book club is meeting this friday night and we are discussing ru by kim thuy.

i read this book earlier this year and am just rereading

 some of the passages to refresh my memory.

ru won canada reads for 2015...if you like powerful poetic writing,

 i think you might want to check it out!!!

what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

weekending

it was a fun packed weekend 

with an early start on friday afternoon till late last night.

there were soccer games to play and watch,

an awesome step class for a sweat fest,

a get-together at the beach,

unnecessary but super-fun thrifting (because i really needed more scrap yarn!!),

knitting, reading, more knitting and more reading,

a neighbouring block party to attend,

dinner and new house/neighbourhood tour with dear, old friends.

september around here is always like that...reconnect, reconnect, reconnect

it was so busy...my dishes didn't get done till sunday late afternoon. 

nope...no dishwasher (never have and probably never will)

just warm suds, warm sun, and blue glass !!

from reading other blogs, 

i was impressed by how many of us are out there...

still delighting in this tactile task.

wishing you all a beautiful start to your week

erica

xoxo 

joining karen

simple friday

our life 

is frittered away

by detail.

simplify,

simplify.

                         - henry david thoreau

my goal for today is just that...
after walking the dog and getting the kids off to school,
i'm bringing three bags of reusable clutter to the donation centre.
then, i'm clearing my crisper to make soup for supper (yes...soup season is back and i love it!!)
finally, i'm spending the afternoon with ian (and harlow) to celebrate 27 years of choosing to be together...

wishing you all a lovely and simple friday!

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: fallen plum

welcome to 'what i wore wednesday'

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

fall has definitely arrived.

the temperature has cooled down quite a bit 

which is fantastic, because harlow and i can walk in comfort anytime of the day now. 

with the cooler air, i am usually chasing after him, calling for him to slow down instead of him lagging behind me wondering where to find the nearest water bowl.

these days...i live in long sleeve cotton shirts (thrifted) 

and my favourite cut-off jeans (also thrifted)

after such a long hot and dry summer, 

we had so much heavy rain and strong winds in such a short time period

 that caused havoc to so many trees.

i was sad to see that this old plum tree up our road came down.

it was a beautiful tree - both inside and out!!!

if you are wondering why this momma is smiling

yesterday...was the first day back to school for the children in british columbia.

for my high schoolers, it was a short assembly to pick up their schedules 

followed by a school barbecue.

even though there are a couple of needed changes 

to their time tables that i have to attend to, 

it looks like it is going to be a great year of learning!!!

wishing you all a happy humpday

erica

xoxo