Aussie Night

This Sunday we had an Aussie dinner.

Just to be clear; a pasty is a stuffed pastry that we had when we were in Australia, it was the only thing we could think of since we weren't willing to try Christine's suggestion of a meat pie in pea soup, which is apparently the real Aussie thing to do. We struggle with the costumes a bit - every Sunday it seems we just put on our shorts and t-shirts and call it whatever (except Melissa, she's got it down) but cargo shorts, undershirt and cowboy hat seem to sum up the Australian stereotype, although I don't think I ever saw anybody pull of this quite so good!

Hello December:)

My croton plant suddenly flowered and it happened fast! The flowering stalk grew about 6 inches long in about a week and has been blooming for almost 2 now. I tried to find more about it, but I think this is a rare event in the croton world. This is Gord's final creepy mushashe pose the day before he shaved it. I'll take him anyway I can get him (and proud of him for willing to do it and raise a good chunk of money - thanks everyone!), but let's be honest, I'm happy it's gone. This bag was a custom order I got out of going to the sale at Gord's work. It's for a lady's granddaughter who dances and needs a bag for her dancing shoes. She tried to explain to me what needed to fit and I told her, have no fear, I understand.... ...because this is me in 1991, I was 11. It was taken at the Canadian National's in Niagara Falls where I got a 4th place finish for one of my team jigs. Yeah us! I danced from when I was very little, about 5 I think, until I was 16 and most of those years were spent Irish dancing. I loved it but realize now my parents must have been mad to sink so much money and time and effort into driving me several times a week to and from classes, to feis's (competitions), curling my hair, all those dresses and shoes...whew! Thanks dad!! I also got an order from Gord's work sale for a couple of warm bags that turned out great. And I made a mini one for a new baby out of warm fleece, so cute! A few more orders to fill before Christmas and then it will be a quilting marathon for a few months...with maybe some bags thrown in there too!

Busy busy

I did a craft sale the other week at Gord's work and sold a few things (yeah!) and also took some custom orders that I'm slowly getting together. Here is the first custom order from that lot, a bunch of coasters for a girl who sells tea and will now try to sell my coasters along side her tea as a nice gift complement! We (well she) is going to test it out next week at a big Market Collective sale and we will see how successful it is and if it will continue to be an ongoing thing. Since it was so cold here and frankly just to have some fun, we instilled theme party Sunday dinners. This week was our first go and called 'Hawaii'. Our food and our clothes have to match the theme but as a bonus we went swimming during the day too. Then we made pineapple nachos (they weren't bad actually...), had fancy juice drinks and dressed up for the occasion (thank goodness I picked that day to bake all day and the house was very nice and toasty:) Next week: Cats (how are we going to pull that off....?)

Let's try that again.....

Better!

Gord and I have also started planning our trip for Peru in May! I feel so lucky, I get to marry him AND go on a great trip. Yippeeee!

All kinds of things... but mostly just cold.

It has been living in a freezer the last couple of days here. Today was -32 (without the windchill factor). We also got a bit of a dump of snow. The furnace never stops and we had to buy a portable to move around the house to different rooms because there seems to be an uneven insulation job in this house. I typically wear long johns each day (ok for 2 days) and it's tempting to not take off your coat, even inside. It's kinda fun but the driving is not so much because it takes three times as long to get anywhere....but it's Calgary and it's winter and what can you do?! This photo has two purposes; one, this was sooooo delicious we (ok, I) had to take a picture of it. It's rice pilaf with cranberries and roasted hazelnuts. I wish we would have made more. And two, Gord's mustache growth is clearly progressing from hitler to Tom Seleck. He's so dreamy (Gord, not Tom) Sunday was an epic baking day. The morning started off with Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread and mini muffins and things snowballed from there into the afternoon with many hours of cookie baking. The freezer is now well on it's way to being stocked for Christmas fattening!! This weekend we move onto baking bars and bark and chocolate dipped pretzels...mmmmm.

I took a brief break from bags and tried making a fabric basket

Then it was back to bags...

But, I'm kinda bored with making these two types of bags and feel that I've got them pretty well mastered, or as close as they are going to be with their wee flaws:) It's great to have learned a lot of different sewing skills from just one pattern that I was able to manipulate and change so much. I have recently found a couple of bag styles that I love so I am going to try to copy, er, be inspired by so I will start working on those in the next couple of week. First, I will take a break and try to sell some of my stuff this Wednesday at Gord's work during a Christmas sale thingy where I got a table. My first, maybe last!, official sale! And here's a mustachio update: Just for comparison sake I added the first photo again. These were taken Movember 1st and Movember 8th. As you can see, there is a unintentional progression towards looking more and more like hitler. Perhaps it will change again in the coming week. There's still time to donate! Just click here

I know what I said

So I said I wasn't going to make any more bags, I really needed a bag break. But three factors came crashing together this weekend and suddenly, after an emergency trip to the fabric store early Saturday, I had plans for 5 bags. And one rag quilt. You see, Gord went to Vegas for work for 5 days, Anthony went to him moms for the weekend, and I signed up to be part of a Body and Soul Expo at Gord's agency and sell my stuff. That means I need stuff to sell. Which means bags. Which means below was my planning Saturday morning. I made it through two bags and my small quilt. Three more to go and THEN I will stop. For a bit. Maybe. These two bags I made a bit bigger. They measure approximately 3 inches deep, 14inches tall and 14inches wide. They each have a zippered pocked and also an open pouch pocket inside. Ok, so I didn't totally finish the rag quilt, I'm still in the cutting part. But the cats sure did like hanging out on it and keeping me company all weekend:) So Gord signed up to be part of Movember, he grows a mustache for the month of November and raises money that goes to prostate cancer research. It's quite the big thing. You can read more about it here (and also donate to Gord and his team of creepy mustasches too if you so please!). Him and his brother also have a competition going; the one who raises the least amount of money has to keep their mustache for the month of December as well. Oh dear. So this is picture is Movember 1st. Gord with a clean shaven face (he's so dreamy...) Let the mustashio growing begin!!

more of the same...

As I go to put more photos up, I"m realizing that really it's more of the same - sewing, baking, sewing, baking and then a little bit of something else! Maybe it's time to diversify and write about other things too....but what...I'll have to think about it... In the meantime... ...I made a new work bag for me! A birthday present for a co-worker (Hope you like it Lisa!) And the best chocolate chip cookies (and some other cookie...let's call it chocolate, chocolate chip, oatmeal, coconut surprise) And finally, the little bit of something else: Halloween! Gord and Melissa got into it to give out candy (I'm a bit of a bore with no costume.) Anthony as Mario - third Halloween in a row with no winter coat under any costumes, how pleasant:)

Where did October go?

Happy Halloween!

Growing up I don't ever remember decorating our house for halloween, but I do remember my mom hiding our stash of candy on my sister and I and then forgetting where she put it. Ooooh, I would get so mad.... As a grown up, it's quite the opposite in our house! Gord and Anthony LOVE halloween and the house gets decorated and candy is stored in plain sight on the kitchen counter! Although that might be more because Anthony doesn't really seem to care about the eating part after a few days, but more about the excitement of collecting it (I think me and my sister had, who are we kidding - have, quite the sweet tooth! I wonder if she really forgot or was just sayin'...hmmm). The pictures don't do justice - the house really does look a little spooky and I've startled myself a few times when I look out the window and see something floating in the yard. There are plans for post-halloween decoration buying...I can only imagine what next year might look like! I've been at it again. I have one more bag done for a co-worker, I need one for myself then it's a bag break. In the winter our room gets really cold and the ugly camping quilt has made an appearance on our bed (it's really warm!) but this must be stopped asap. So, I have some quilting plans in the works... This one is half a messenger bag and half a purse. I think I like it! Ohhh, peanut butter pie, how I love thee...One day in Medicine Hat while visiting Gord's parents we discovered a restaurant called Two Pigeons and a Pie. The have a very small menu as everything is made on the spot from scratch and there's usually only one person working. That day, they had nothing vegetarian so they lady cooked us lunch from scratch and made it up as they went along and delicious is an understatement. That first trip (there have been a couple now) there was also some peanut butter pie to be had and the lady told me how to make it; peanut butter, cream, sugar. That's my kind of baking!

Rocktober

October has been a very busy time. Anthony has gone and come back (today - yeah!) to Florida and a visit to every theme park ever built. Gord has been super busy doing lots of work for the Centre for Inquiry publicizing events and speakers - and attending too! I've been busy sewing and trying to stay committed to going to the gym regularly and working some extra hours. We are both exhausted and seem to be getting lives outside of each other for the first time in two and a half years! It is very wonderful to be making some new friends and doing lots of things, but strange to not be around him ALL the time too (fill in gushy love sound here). Here's the latest... Anthony is really good at taking photos so I thought I would try to teach him a bit. So, one day after school after a quick lesson on the rule of thirds and also moving around and getting close and looking at things from funny angles we went to his school park to practice. And of course what lesson isn't complete with funny face pictures? I know mine isn't. My friend Reality moved back to just outside the city for the winter with her boyfriend Matt and their wee one who just might be the sweetest thing ever! It's great to have her close again (even if it is temporary) and I got so excited that on their first visit I only took pictures of Mairi and none of the mama...oops! I finally finished up a baby quilt I started last winter...it's one of many projects I started or have planned for and haven't gotten around to doing. And surprise - I made another bag. Now if I could only get done two more (one for a co-worker and one for me) a quilt and a diaper bag I'd be set!!