Vulnerability

A co-worker, who I admire greatly for her vulnerability, posted this and I wanted to share. 

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability | Video on TED.com

Hot Summer Days

 It's been such a great summer with such nice weather, and some days, not just nice but it's even got HOT! Sunny hot days make me very happy. I feel better, get more things done and well, just feel better! (except this weekend the get more done rule didn't apply...I also really like lazy hot days too). I think I should have been born in a tropical country. Give me a skirt and flip flops any day and I'll smile.

 

I also smile at watermelon salad with mint and balsamic vinegar dressing.....

 At going to Globalest to watch fireworks and saying "smile" and getting this face from Anthony. If you can't tell, he was posing for he's emo album cover (release date unknown)...

 At cute boys and hot chocolate trying to stay warm because we didn't bring enough blankets or jackets for when the sun went down (apparently there is an art to attending Globalfest - we are def prepared for next year though, we took notes on how to do it up right next time:)...

 (17 000 people were apparently there that night!)

 I smile at crazy fireworks that are so loud and create so much smoke and are super pretty...

And at baking Lamingtons with Anthony on days I'm suppose to be working!
AND buying back to school shoes and having the best behaved kid in the store (holy doodle that was an interesting outing...) AND doing some gardening in between lying in the sun and buying new plants and hanging out with my Gordy....so many things to smile about these days!

Gardens and Other Victories

Our wee garden continues to be a success and this blog continues to move further away from sewing and closer to dirt each time I post. It's gotten yummier for sure, if not a bit less...well, fabricy. But as I sit here now, the wind is howling and the temperature at night continues to drop letting us know that sweaty days of lounging in the yard are limited. And with that comes a tendency to mosey on back down into the basement and fall in love with sewing all over again. But in the meantime....I made radish dip with radishes and chives (both from our garden) and garlic and cream cheese. It was so delicious I actually made it twice:)

And I made pickled two more jars. One of carrots (they were a little deceiving with their bright orange sticks neatly hidden beneath the dirt and perhaps, perhaps, there was some premature picking going on....but it was another garden lesson learned), and one more of beets. Apparently it takes quite a bit to fill a jar and we are going to need a bigger garden next year!!

Besides all this picking business, Gord has been busy working on his graphic novel and I have been busy studying the very exciting world of First Aid.

This past weekend I passed my instructors test and am now a certified Red Cross  First Aid Instructor. I know it doesn't sound very glamours, but it came to be through work and I also saw it as an opportunity to seize a little personal triumph. Since I was little I've never liked talking in front of people. This was solidified in grade 4 when we were required to start giving speeches in front of our class. My 3 minutes of talking about my sister was like a nightmare that I made myself sick over and continued to vomit at the mere thought every year for the rest of my elementary school, not to mention high school presentation, life. I hate it. But, I thought I would grab the bull by the horns and conquer my deep dark fear. And conquer I did. I had to fight every bone in my body, but I marched myself up in front of the class and somehow came out on the other side with a piece of paper that said I did it! Fear gone? No way, but small personal victory for me, you betcha.

And, if that wasn't enough of a reward in itself, Gord bought me some victory flowers to boot! What a nice fellow he is.

We Did It!

We actually grew something and ate it! The beans started sprouting last week and although I picked some of them too early because I was too excited, they were still yummy:) Now we are just waiting for them to fatten up a bit and we shall have a bean feast.

I even harvested a few beets and pickled them. It was a warm up really as I want to try more and one jar seems a little sad...but it's our first go at things and I believe we are in for it next year when we expand our garden and get even more (since we are now experts and all). 

Other than the garden we have been keeping ourselves busy with boot camp, buying new cars, writing graphic novels (Gman, not moi), hosting an improve group from Korea (but are really American) and seeing Fringe Festival plays, replacing crashed comptuers, studying for teaching my first first aid class next weekend, sitting in the back yard and other summer stuffs. So far summer, you have not disapointed.