mesmerized

hello everyone...

i'm going to take a little bit of a blogging break.

i've stumbled onto something that has completely mesmerized me, and has left me unable to write/post anything bloggable!?!?

don't worry, all is fine in my little world (all my main characters are still healthy, crazy, and alive)
i just have a wee bit of processing to do....

erica
xoxo

thrifted threads: dry and cozy

 a mighty storm came through our city yesterday.

the rain was horizontal,

and the wind came blowing through at 100 km/hour.

but look who was dry and cozy, all wrapped up in my thrifted robe !!!

(so much to be thankful for:  thank you, thank you ,thank you)

i spent most of the day puttering/cooking in the kitchen

and looking out the window

 to see who was brave enough to be outside.

 we live only a few blocks from the high school

but my teens convinced me to drive them in for the morning 

(i didn't blame them for wanting dry feet for the school day).

lucky them (and chauffeur me) that the worst of the storm was over 

before the final period of the school day.

i got to stay in my robe and left the car keys out of the ignition.

the weatherman is calling for a few showers for today

and then sunshine for the a stretch of four or five days.

my robe is off and my boots are on.

harlow and i are off for our morning walk

to see what branches came down around the neighbourhood 

and assess any damages from the storm.

 happy hump day everyone !!

erica

xoxo

joining lindsey for 'what i wore' wednesday

fun stuff: duck weather knits and reads

it is just coming down in buckets out there 

as i sit here in my writing corner composing this post.

harlow did NOT enjoy his walk this morning - my poor wet dog,

i tried to share my umbrella with him but he wouldn't come under with me.

all day today, the weatherman is predicting very fine weather for ducks...

 so... i will be puttering indoors today (yay!!!)

and picking up and working on my purple scrap blanket during my little breaks.

i'm still reading we are all completely beside ourselves but have had to put it aside.

i was able to get hold of a copy of camilla gibb's this is happy (previously, i had to return it before finishing the first time i took it out of the library)

this is happy wasn't a very happy book

but i loved it.

i think it is autobiographical, gibb describes a lot of her experiences with depression.

what i enjoyed most about it is how she writes about 

her relationship with her filipino nanny.

i was born in the philippines and grew up in canada and my filipino/canadian up bringing always gave me an awkwardness with meeting/being/associating 

with women who come to work as nannies.

this book touched on so many issues about caring and caregivers 

and did so with such eloquence and honesty.

read it !!!

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

weekending

today's multiple choice:

busy is a choice

stress is a choice

joy is a choice

choose well

                    - ann voskamp

we were blessed with a beautiful and restful weekend (thank you)

i was able to dance my soul away with my step choreography class 

(this week's routine had lots of spinning and twirling in it- soooo much fun!!!)

ian played soccer twice.

(not one but two full games of run-around-until-your-joints-can't-take-it-anymore)

the kids got caught up with their sleep

and then ate/played/contemplated cleaning their rooms/rewind.

we visited grandma and we all got showered/pampered/spoiled 

with so much grandmotherly love.

it was lovely...

grandma lives at the end of this beautiful walkway.

when we visit (by car), harlow and (lucky) i get dropped off at the beginning of the walk 

and make our way by foot to her place.

if the weather is beautiful (like it was yesterday), 

we meet up with the gang at her house and circle back 
to enjoy the sea walk facing the sun.

it's a spectacular view of san juan islands.

happy monday everyone!!

erica

xoxo

joining karen 

happy fifteenth !!!

fifteen years ago,

you were born on the darkest hour 

of a dark, stormy day 

of the darkest november,

and brought such great light !!!

you twirled out of utero and have been twirling ever since.

you have such capacity 

to be lighthearted, 

to be happy,

to be free, 

that every third step of yours is a skip and a hop.

fifteen candles,

fifteen wishes,

fifteen blessings,

fifteen kisses...

for my sweetest fifteen year old !!!

libby's mom

xoxo

remembering

erica

xoxo

fun stuff: nearing completion

 my pink/yellow/orange scrap blanket is nearing completion (only a foot or two to go ?!?)

i've been knitting these blankets to cover the size of a single twin bed but surprisingly, when i stretch them out, they will actually cover a double size.

my basket of scrap yarn is slowly diminishing.

soon it will be time to sift through the thrift shop bins for balls of scrap yarn 

and/or old sweaters to be unravelled.

 i'm in the middle of karen joy fowler's 

we are all completely beside ourselves

it is a really great read that i could easily spoil for you if i said anything more than that.

put it on your list  !!!

(if you're in the market for great fiction that analyzes family dynamics)

 what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

weekending

we made it back to the shore this weekend.

the rain stopped pouring down and the beach called everyone out for a stroll.

the oppressive, dark, grey skies are slowly getting to me.

so, yesterday, i treated myself to a box of 100watt light bulbs !!!

now - reading/writing/knitting is so much more enjoyable 

(how in the world did people do books by candlelight?)

we visited grandma in her modern flat on saturday.

she has filled her little patio garden with flowers and plants of all sorts.

such happy, colourful blooms she has collected, 

and her place is starting to look like a little floral boutique.

she hadn't realized about last weekend's daylight savings 

and was grateful that ian came and adjusted her clocks.

we ended the weekend with some vietnamese pho, some bubble tea, and a pizza.

ohhh...and a few giggly episodes of faulty towers.

erica

xoxo

joining karen

belong not to me...

your children are not your children.

they are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.

they come through you but not from you

and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

you may give them your love but not your thoughts,

for they have their own thoughts.

you may house their bodies but not their souls,

for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

you may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you.

for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

                                   -kahlil gibran

they've taught me more than i could ever teach them...

they've shown me more than i could ever show them...
they ask those life questions that i've been to too busy, too lazy, 
too afraid, too schooled to tackle for myself.

i am more alive, more awake, more aware because i didn't want to 

miss out on anything they brought into this life with them.

they were born through me, 
but it was me, the true/truer/truest me that is born because of them.

i love them so much,

it hurts.

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: pumpkin orange

it's gourds and pumpkin season

and i'm dressed for it !!!

the pumpkin patches look pretty picked over these days

but the bins of gourds are still overflowing at the farmers' barn markets.

i have had this thrifted pumpkin colour pull-over for a couple of years now

and i tend to wear it most around this time of year,

just to blend in with all those gorgeous autumn colours.

i'm definitely more fall than winter.

i love everything about this season...

except for the fact that my allergies peak right about now!!!

this is me...smiling through my swollen, puffy eyes.

mother nature seems to have mistaken my eyes as pin cushions 

(and no, i don't believe in antihistamines, whining seems to do the trick for me)

it is also the same me...after triple sampling the leftover halloween chocolates

(herseys cookies and cream - i tried to give them away, honestly)

wishing you all a lovely autumn day!!!

erica

xoxo

joining lindsey

fun stuff: knitterings

after a weekend of torrential downpours

the sun came shining and brought everyone outdoors ...including the knitterings.

my scrap blankets are still on the needles.

the pink one grew quite a bit because i brought it along with me

to visit with grandma (ian's mom)

my book club met last friday...

and i got a new book to read

have you read it?

karen joy fowler's we are all completely beside ourselves

i'm only a couple of chapters and i already know it is going to be a good read.

what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams and small things

fall back

it's that time of year again.

did you set your clocks back an hour?  

you can go back to sleep- you know !! 

you have an extra sixty minutes to enjoy dreamland !!

(my little morning conversation with myself this morning) 

if only my internal body clock would instantly reset,

it will take me about three weeks to adjust (sigh)

i'm an early morning person,

but for the next few weeks,

i'm going to be an even earlier morning person 

who will turn into a zombie by dinnertime.

to tell the truth... i'm loving this extra hour of quiet and solitude 
while everyone else in the house slumbers on.

life has been extra full and busy around here lately, 

so i welcome this gift of extra (me and only me) time.

already, i've been able to sip and enjoy my cup of coffee, do some morning reading, 

and even write this blog post.

now...i'm off to walk the dog, whose internal clock seems to be synchronized with mine,

because he is sitting patiently beside me ready to go,

oblivious that we are  going to be walking the block an hour early.

erica

xoxo