May 22, 2012

We just had a long weekend, and I think it was one of the best ever.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we managed to get equal amounts of chores, rest, and fun in.
Saturday morning I headed off to the hardware store in search of ferns and spray paint.

This year I decided to re-paint my patio pots bright yellow.  I loved the aqua from last year, but this year I needed yellow!

Next up was to divide the ferns I bought: one into four; the other into two.  I had forgotten how difficult this is, and am now crossing my fingers that they will all survive.  I put the two halves in the planters under our long garage windows.  The four quarters go into the four smaller yellow pots, which sit in the corners of our 'urban gazebo' on the deck.  

The other pot I painted holds the violas that used to be in the garage window planters.  It now sits on the patio table under the gazebo.

I really wanted bright colours for outside this year, so only the yellow and orange flowers made it to the back.  The purples and pinks are staying out front.  I got the yellow straw mat from the dollar store, and the mosaic candle holders are the ones the kids made last year at my 'summer camp'.  I realize now that the yellow spray paint I picked is the same colour my bedroom furniture was painted when I was a kid.  No wonder I love it!

This is a picture of our back deck from the kitchen.  I hope the ferns live because they are a nice low-maintenance plant that will last the whole summer.  I think the yellow pots will make up for the colour usually supplied by the flowers I normally put there.  

Once all the work was done I told everyone I was just going to cross stitch all weekend, and that's pretty much what I did.  I wanted to try my new dyed floss and thought this design of fall leaves would showcase them well. 

 I used 8 different shades of green, yellow and orange in this free design I found here: Le Blog de vava.  This design is on page 6 of the Grilles gratuites/Freebies link on the right hand column.  This talented stitcher has 36 pages of free designs so get a coffee if you plan on perusing it!  I think I may have exceeded my download limit here alone:)

Oh, and what's cross stitching outside without a little summery drink at hand?

The kids got to crafting as well: I bought two unfinished birdhouses at the dollar store and now we have two more colourful decorations for our yard:

We also had two very interesting comments from our kids: 

 We had to go to a funeral home for a viewing on Saturday.  We didn't know if it was going to be an open or closed casket, so thought we would prepare the kids just in case it was open.  It turned out to be a closed casket, and as we were speaking with one of the family members My Favourite Boy came up and asked:  "What's in the box?"  It was just a little awkward!

On Saturday at dinner My Favourite Girl told us she was going to become a vegetarian once she finished her meal.  Mr. Crafty World asked her why and she replied that it was cruel to eat animals.  I said, "You know you are telling us this as you're eating about three kinds of meat in those meatballs".

"I know", she replied, "that's why I said I was going to become a vegetarian after I eat my supper!" 

Those two make life so much more interesting!

One Good Day

My little tummy bug is still with me, so I haven't been too motivated to get much done.  Add to that a bike accident by My Favourite Boy, resulting in a broken arm.  He's OK, in fact he doesn't feel any pain at all, but it was still stressful!

So I had one good-feeling day last week and I used it to sew. I made this bag, and based part of it on a pattern I bought from from Bustle and Sew.

I don't sew much with red and white so it was kind of a treat.  I have lots more toile, so I think a few more projects are in order.

I also finished off the Trail Creek Farm piece into a little pin pillow:

Thank-you for visiting, and thank-you for your kind comments and emails!

First Robin of Spring

I decided to take a mini break from stitching up Easter things, so I pulled out this freebie from Elizabeth's Designs:

I used my own hand-dyed linen and finished it into a scissor keep.  I have never done a finish like this before and I think I could have made it a bit longer.  Maybe I'll just use it for secret notes!

My Favourite Girl is starting to exert her independence in the kitchen.  She made herself cinnamon toast the other day for breakfast, then yesterday decided she might like to try baking something all on her own.  After deciding on a gingerbread recipe in this book she got started.

I got out all the ingredients she couldn't reach and she did all the measuring, mixing, rolling and cutting. She thought Easter shapes would be a nice idea.  After baking and decorating ( I did the oven bits, she did all the decorating) she had these beautiful cookies to show for her efforts!

Most of them are gone by now, because she has found out that cookies made by yourself are tastier than any other :)

Thanks for visiting!

From the Deep...

The kids and I watched the 'Deep Seas' episode from BBC's Planet Earth series the other night. Of all the episodes, this one is their favorite. They are equally fascinated/repulsed at the seemingly bizarre creatures to be found down in the darkest depths of the sea. I thought they might have nightmares, but instead they decided to make some creatures of their own, inspired by those they will never see first hand. I present to you Sea Bug:

Made by My Favorite Girl and sewn "all by herself" on my sewing machine. These creatures, which resemble wood lice, live on the sea floor and are around a foot long. Ighh. I love that she made it truly albino with white button eyes.

My Favorite Boy was captivated by the Vampire Squid - From Hell! as David Attenborough called it. It is creepy, and I'm glad we couldn't completely replicate all it's creepiness. I love how he wanted to put the lighted bits at the bottom of the tentacles, even though I had to sew all those buttons on.

This guy isn't really creepy; in fact he has nothing to do with the movie. I just love the picture, as scenes like this are often set up around the house by My Favorite Boy. It gives me a little peak into his brain and I consider it one of those little rewards of being a Mum. I'm also happy that Orca likes pumpkin muffins too.

A Pox on Our House

Chicken pox! Can you believe it?! I thought getting my kids vaccinated for this meant they weren't supposed to get it. Apparently not. I have been told the symptoms will be much less severe than if they didn't get the vaccine, so I guess that's something to be grateful for. Still...

Anyway it made us start our summer vacation two days early. It meant I didn't have to cut up pounds and pounds of fruit for the kindergarten picnic, or sit, frying in the sun at said picnic. It also means My Favorite Girl misses her award ceremony, and both kids miss their year-end parties. We also can't have playdates for at least a week, and are pretty much confined to the house. In one way a bummer; in another way, more relaxing. It all balances out I guess.

These are some of the teacher gifts I put together this year. I was struggling with what to give. After a very trying day last week I ended up at the plant nursery, and saw these beautiful double impatiens. I thought "perfect!" and they came home with us.

They really look like miniature roses, and have a sweet little scent. I'm happy with how they potted up, and am even happier each pot cost around $5. I had to make five in total, so I was able to give something that looks good to everyone and didn't break my bank account. One of these days I'll get a better camera and my pictures will be much better!

It's so hot today I filled up the kids inflatable pool. They have already had a good go-round in it; now they're "resting" in front of the TV for a bit. When they're ready to go back outside I plan on parking myself in the new lounger and catching up on some reading. Maybe being under quarantine won't be so bad!