knitting and reading: 01/06/15

only a few more inches to go

and the charcoal scarf is almost done

i took this project with me over the holidays

but didn't get quite as far as i wanted.

it's funny how the process of surveying a huge selection of 

chocolate bon bons on my sister's coffee table, 

selecting my favourites and eating them 

can distract one from working those needles !!!

also...this week,

i am rereading salinger's the catcher in the rye.

my son is reading it for his high school english course 

and i'm aching to discuss this classic with him.

i got so much from this book when i read it the first time,

it will be interesting to hear what a teenage boy has to say.

gosh... sometimes highschool seems just like yesterday !

back to knitting projects

check out what my sister knitted...

they were so colourful and cheerful on her mantel

that i knew instantly how i was going to learn the art of knitting socks.

erica

xoxo

joining fronteir dreams and small things

white table cloth challenge

like a few people i know

i've set a couple of challenges for myself and my family for 2015

and last night... was the kick off for my white table cloth challenge.

for 52 sundays... 

i want to lay a white tablecloth, 

set a beautiful table,

and prepare a simple meal

 to share and enjoy.

but the challenge is... 

to encourage all four of us to contribute to the process of this creation.

despite our hectic schedules, 

we are fortunate that we are still able to share several meals together.

 with the white table cloth,

i'm hoping to take it up a notch ...

and make our sunday meals an extra special celebration of life as a family. 

last night's menu was simple:

steak (barbequed by ian)

potatoes (peeled and mashed by cole)

salad (rinced and tossed my me)

candles and table (lit and set by libby)

leftovers (demolished within seconds by harlow)

erica

xoxo

better late than....

Happy New Year Everyone !

we have just returned from holidays, 

all rested and energized from all the love and togetherness 

we received from family and friends over the christmas season.

despite the mess that we left behind 
due to our quick get-a-way after christmas day

and the chaos of unpacking from this trip, 

it feels soooooo good to be home.

2015 is here and i am so excited to journey through it with you all....

erica

xoxo

happy holidays

 i want to wish everyone who visit this site 

a holiday season filled with

joy, peace and hope.

i will be away for a while,

travelling and visiting with friends and family,

but am looking forward to connecting with you all again in the new year.

erica

xoxoxoxoxo

origami christmas balls

we were just sitting around, 

listening to christmas music and contemplating the morning

when my son decided to show me how to make origami christmas balls.

his japanese language teacher at the highschool 

had an origami session during their last class before the holidays.

we didn't have any origami paper lying around the house

but... we had loads of christmas wrapping paper.

after cutting the paper into squares,

(since we needed twelve in total,

we used 2 different patterns and cut 6 squares from each)

he started folding...

 the folding took less than ten minutes...

and soon he had two.

i wanted to give it a try,

so i went for the blues ...

and voila !!!!

 now, to find some hanging space on our tree...

erica

xoxo

joining frontier dreams

winter solstice

winter solstice came as dark as it could get this year.

because of all the heavy clouds that covered the city 

and the overflowing buckets of rain that fell, 

the darkness was intensified.

but like always, despite the lack of light...

 it was such a happy couple of days of gatherings and celebrations.

we spent the whole weekend 

getting together with old friends and new ones.

each night, the potluck tables were filled with goodies from each of our homes.

to survive the marathon of socializing... 

ian and i enjoyed plenty of napping, sipping of tea and coffee, 

and even a little football on tv in between outings.

on saturday evening, the rainiest of the rainy nights,

we had to drop off our daughter at a skating party by the empress hotel.

although the driving was treacherous, we came upon such a treat.

the rain drenched streets had such a 

magical effect on the lights of the parliament buildings.

erica

xoxo

joining karen

mega muffs

i'm meeting some friends for brunch later today,

so yesterday, i decided to whip up some 

chocolate-banana-flaxseed-steel cut oatmeal muffins.

the bananas were so ripe they practically liquefied when mashed.

and my secret trick is to fine grind the 

cups of flaxseed and oatmeal 

so that even my picky eating son 

will bring himself to enjoy the baked goodies.

 they turned out ginormous !!!

also... i'm happy to report,

they successfully passed the picky eater test 

because several were inhaled 

during the cooling process.

happy baking everyone !!!

wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

erica

xoxo