I'm having a moment today, so please bear with me while I think out loud.

I am in a place in my life right now where I am taking stock of my life, making big plans for the future and trying my darnedest to push ahead and make these secret yearnings a reality.
The biggest part of this plan, the part that causes me the most hesitation and heart ache, is the fact that I can't wrap all of my nearest and dearest up in a neatly tied little package and bring them with me.

They will always have a place in my heart, but if there's one thing that I've learnt from years of separation, it's that those connections are so easily lost with time and distance. And the thought of that is totally terrifying to me.

My people are my tribe...my family. So my new mantra is to cherish, connect with and nurture those connections with these seriously special members of my tribe.
To simplify and streamline my lifestyle and my environment, so that it is more conducive to connecting with the people of importance in my life.
I don't know the steps to make this happen or have the answers to make this a reality......... here's where the floundering around part comes back into play.

I'm finding since my return from Australia that there are so many things on my list that need to be conquered in order for us to be able to have the financial freedom to move back.

I keep tackling the little projects, the one's that have a start and a finish, they make me feel like I've accomplished one little miracle at a time.
But they're not really contributing to the big picture.
I feel like these little daily overhauls are taking time away from my people. I need to find a way to get my s&*t sorted in a more efficient, timely manner. Make better use of my down time when the kids are at school, spend less time cleaning and more time "making time" for my family.

The kids are on spring break for two weeks, so there's lots of family time to be had. There are adventures to chase, master pieces to create and lots of snuggles on the couch and movies to be watched. Today is one of those days, it's snowing out side and I have a few extra kid's for the day to keep my little one's busy.

So I'm allocating my morning to purging and cleaning a space for me. A space where I can sit, reflect, work and connect, without the weight of the overwhelming mess and clutter threatening to swallow me up.
Because now it's time to focus on the big scary things. Finishing renovations, bank refinancing, renting out the basement and my favorite, preparing for court to end this roofing nightmare.
And to do that, I need some organisation and focus so that it doesn't gobble me up like a big monster and leave nothing for my family.

It's not rocket science, but it's a start, hopefully in the right direction.

Sewing bee anyone?

I made some time for myself today to venture back into the blogging world and found what looks like a super cute and easy shorts pattern for my girls by Meg from Elsie Marley.  Take a peek, she has a free tutorial on the grosgrain blog.

Here is another blogger's take on her pattern.

This one is by Jessica at craftiness is not optional..another fantastic sewing site that I highly recommend if you have little girls.

The girls have both grown like weeds over the winter and are desperately in need of some summer clothing.

Now this is highly theoretical but..... is anyone out there wanting to get together and have a sewing bee, share fabrics and do a day of sewing? All that you would need is to bring your machine, your fabric scraps (obviously big enough for a pair of shorts) and a "can do " attitiude.

Once we have masteres the knot shorts then we can tackle some of this fantastic stuff over at Heidi and Finn.

A new home for pepper dog?

With all the flurry and excitement of spring it's easy to get caught up in planning new projects for the house and yard. I have to continually remind myself of all the unfinished projects that need to be completed, and reassure myself that we'll get to them eventually.

But in the meantime I thought I'd share these cute, space saving funky ideas for the four legged family members of your home. I would love to have one of these for our pepper dog, he is always hanging out on the deck, why not make his home also functional while we're at it.

Dace and I were just discussing where to locate the dog house, with all of the deck renovations we've done recently poor pepper doesn't know where he's supposed to be anymore.
The garden keeps expanding as does the deck and all of his favourite spots keep getting dug up or built on top of.

Someone was using their noggin when they thought up this idea. The people over at Sustainable Pet have created these space saving designs, I thought it would be perfect for our deck and our dog! They also make cute bird houses too...very trendy!

They come with or without plants and are made of all non-toxic materials, including beeswax waterproofing.

The Heart Box is my favourite. I'm imagining it would have to be quite large to accommodate pepper dogs rear end and allow for a good turn around space inside....another project for hubby?????

Raise it up.

My husband has decided that due to the deer smorgasbord made of our veggie patch last year that he wants to build a greenhouse to keep our tomatoes, peppers and misc veggies protected.
I agree but while we're at it why not put in some raised beds for the stuff the deer don't take a fancy to. We love gardening but with the amount of exterior home reno we have taken on there just doesn't seem to be time.
I think the hubby and I are on the same page this year and we both realise we need to make time, there is something to be said for the work = reward when it comes to gardening. It really is very therapeutic, not to mention educational especially for the kids.
I have been drooling over some of the fantastic work out there online, proud gardeners who have taken time to share their ideas and knowledge with others. I don't know what I would have done without the Internet when it comes to gardening.

Just look at this layout by The Modern Gardener. It reminds me of wandering down the aisles of a supermarket, everything laid out so perfectly in a row.

Here are some more images from the net, drool! Patience my child, all in good time.
I must remember and constantly remind myself that every year I bite off more than I can chew and end up feeling deflated about my gardening abilities.

 Anyone out there have great success with raised beds and want to share their wisdom? I'm your student!!!

In the meantime, I will continue to browse through my seed catalogues and continue to plan what we are going to grow this year. Nothing frivolous, just the basics...I have plans to can my butt off this year, with the cost of basic food items raising at an alarming rate I really think it's time to consider what is a necessity and what is not.

Christmas in February?????

I've been thinking a lot about wreaths since last week, Brenda was whipping up some lovely ones at the store and I think wreaths need to be more of a year round decorating item rather than being dusted off and hung for Christmas.
I found some lovely ones on line and after picking up some used books on the side of the road yesterday, I now have the materials to make my own.

Here's a few I found already that I think are close to what I have in mind.

I think I like the first one the best and feel like it's in my skill level.

Watch this space for the finished product and maybe even a tutorial.

DIY candles.

I just have to get my butt off to Kelowna sometime soon and go visit some of my favourite stores. There are so many craft projects I want to tackle but am seriously lacking in supplies.
A quick stop at Michael's would be nice, followed by a shopping trip to the Oriental supermarket.....and sushi for lunch of course.

I spied these cute candles on the Martha website and have decided I absolutely must make some. They look so easy but what a great way to personalise a cake without(hopefully) spending too much moula.

I'm picturing them on cupcakes for a little tea party with the girls, or maybe something spring themed. So not only do I need beeswax sheets but also now I have an excuse to go buy some cute cookie cutters.

The hubby enjoyed his yummy lemon meringue birthday pie...thanks for asking. Nothing like feeding your children sugar at 8pm and then telling them to go to bed.  There's a lesson in there somewhere.tootles
kj

Here I go again.....

Starting off my new year with some of the usual suspects. Promises to myself that will be soon broken...getting more exercise, eating healthier, implementing better household habits, staying organized, being nicer to telemarketers....oh the list goes on.

Yesterday was a good day, even though the year has kicked off with a broken washing machine and stove, I managed to purge and clean my spice, baking and tea cupboards and fill two large bags of goodies bound for the thrift store AND actually dropped them off instead of piling them up at the front entrance for weeks.

My neighbors came over and dragged away my empty bottles, the hubby did a dump run and things are looking good. It's all about keeping the momentum going......right?????

One of my friends, whom I admire immensely, recently informed me of her families self imposed challenge to buy no STUFF for a month.
She had read about it in an old Canadian Living magazine article and her challenge began January 1st. I'm thinking that she's onto a good thing, what better time to simplify your life after the craziness of Christmas and the motivation of a new year beginning.

I'm not ready to commit to that extent yet but I'm thinking I may want to implement something along those lines sometime VERY soon.

But for now, I am going to continue purging unnecessary STUFF from my house, trying to keep on top of my mental and physical STUFF, be patient with my parenting STUFF and try to only put good STUFF into my tummy.....like my breakfast this morning.

The death of Mr Jack 'O'

I don't know about everyone else out there but a real sign that Halloween is over and done with at our house is the traditional jack 'o' lantern slaughter in our goat field.

Please observe........

....everyone say bye bye Jack 'O'.....

          ....Jack 'O' say hello to my little friend Chopper!

mmmmmmmmm pumpkin.

So, if you are within driving distance of my house, please feel free to join in the annual pumpkin feeding frenzy by bringing over your Jack 'O's.

And on a completely different topic, I'm hoping my wonderful friend Sam, who happens to be the best crocheter ( is that a word?) in the world..will give me a hand to learn how to make me one of these.......

......super cute. I found it here.

Ding Dong.....

After all the hard work that the hubby has put into our home, all the decision making, the blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights, splinters, head injuries ( I'll tell you about that another day ), not to mention the stress a large renovation can put on a normally easy going couple. We are getting close to picking out some small finishing touches for the exterior of our nest.
I have been given the task of selecting....wait for it............a .............doorbell. All on my own, yeah.

I am not impressed with any of the door bells I have found in big box stores so decided to waste my afternoon......I mean.....research my way through endless online resources to find just the right touch for our front entrance.

This one is kinda cute it's $44 from decorative hardware store.com

and this one I like the peacock detail for $45

                                       Is that expensive for a door bell?

I was originally thinking of a dragonfly, I like this little guy, and he's cheaper than the others @ $ 32.13.

Too cowboyish????? $35.44

See, now I though I could make this decision all on my own. I think I may need to put this one to a vote!!!

Gimme, gimme...

I know it's suppose to be hot and sunny in the Okanagan right now, but as I look out my window, Mother nature is singing a different tune. Not that I'm complaining mind you as my newly planted tomato bushes could use some nice mild weather until they take root. In honor of the drizzly rain I thought I'd check out my favourite knitting and crochet blog today, I do not knit or crochet but I plan on learning one day and when I do I'm gonna make me one of these beauties.

You know you want one!! Sam if you're reading this, my birthday is October 2nd!!!! I'll take one in black!

Check out pickles, the website is in english and swedish??? They have free patterns as well as their own hand dyed yarns. For now, I will add this one to my list of things to do.

Summer top.

I am so in love with this top. I think I might have to buy the pattern, it is called Desira. I just love everything about it, especially the little sleeves. I frequently receive emails from Burda style and although I am yet to try any of the patterns, I love checking out the designs. Most of the stuff is either free to download or very inexpensive. This pattern is $3.00, you receive the pattern in PDF format and simply print it out at home. Sounds easy enough, although I am a little sceptical as to exactly how easy these are to print @ home.
I guess that is why I have not purchased anything yet.
I will add this one to my list of things to do.

hhhhhmmmm.....

Did you ever have one of those weeks where you look back and reflect on what you accomplished and then come to the realisation that you achieved Squat diddly?????? That's, where I'm at. So to make myself feel less guilty about my unproductivity I thought I might just become blissfully ignorant and pretend like this week didn't happen. Mind you, I did have lots of fun road trips, two to Kelowna and one to Armstrong, hung out with fabulous ladies, ate lots of yummy food and found some great buys.
A trip to the Armstrong Asparagus farm yielded an exciting find, affordable, organic spelt and golden flax, both of which I can't wait to incorporate into some yummy, healthy baked goods for the fam. And don't forget the asparagus, at $2.25 a pound, this is the best asparagus you will find.

And my finds from the most affordable thrift store around. A $1 lamp for Marley's room I plan on adding some spunk to, a great old frame for $4, a few embroidery hoops ( a girl can never have too many embroidery hoops), a men's shirt $4, I plan on turning into a dress for Marley.

Mind you, all of these finds involve more work to make it to their final destination. I will add it to my ever growing to do list.

A friend of mine from Australia recently requested my favourite pumpkin pie recipe, which was flattering and all, but I quickly realised that I do not have one.

So I have decided to try this one, the original recipe is from a site called not without salt, it looks fantastic and not your average run of the mill recipe. I plan on taking a closer look at this site it looks fantastic. This one's for you Tori, I will try it out and I was thinking you should try it out and we can compare results. The recipe is here....I wish you well and hope to hear from you soon.

Poof

I absolutely, positively must learn to knit, just so that I can have one of these cuties. This one is called Puff Daddy, and you can make them in different sizes, so organic and fun.....I think we need to start a Lavington knitting circle......anyone?????

I found this great website for all you crocheter's and knitter's...it's called pickles..and it is tasty!