Focusing the Unfocusable

Spring..oh Sprrrriiiinnnggggg - where aarrrrrrrrrrreeeee you?

2009-04-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have lots of blog about in the next few months! I'm really trying to focus and find some "me time" and have it be crafty. I noticed that I haven't picked up a single project since I was sick in February, due to a month of developing, branding, creating and working and I'm really missing doing some work by hand. First project on hand is Avari's birthday quilt. The fabric is sitting across the border as we speak and I'll have only a few months to get it done. Good thing I work best under pressure...

I'm just itching to get back outside and garden. It's coming along slowwwwly. Last year we ripped up the grass in the backyard and have been living in the middle of a dirt pit. I can't wait to see the garden come alive.

April is also the start of Super Budget 2009. We realized that we really want to be able to go places and explore somewhere other than beautiful Powell River, so we're getting focused on frugalness. The garden comes in to that because I'd love to be able to grow and trade produce. We only have a very modest space to grow so I've been researching about succession and companion planting and let's hope that I have more success than last year!

Spring is here. Ahhhhhhhh.....

2009-03-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

I love it when spring arrives! Today felt like the real first glimpse. Warm enough to work outside without a jacket, crocuses blooming, buds forming on the lilac tree.... Spring is love!!!!

Today we spent the morning outside cleaning out the vegetable garden plot and adding the compost that has been growings since last spring. It is mighty beautiful! I put the radish seedlings out in Avari's garden to grow and once I get a trellis built this weekend, the first round of peas will be set out as well.

This year it's wonderful to have a little helper in the garden! Avari was more than happy to help me rake up leaves and move the worms from the garden we were tilling to her little plot. This is a photo of her last year. It's a goal of mine this week to try and recreate this exact photo since I still have the same dress!

Avari and I went out to the park for our annual "beginning of spring park frolic". Well it's only the second annual, but it made me think of this photo from last year, which was taken at the same time.

It would appear as if I'm a little bit nostalgic tonight!

The perfect growing solution for small spaces

2009-03-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to pop in to Springtime Nursery today, just to see the beginning of spring. I was curious about getting some pots to grow carrots and potatoes, since we didn't have much luck in our soil last year.

It turns out that they have developed something called Paper Pots. http://paperpots.com/ - I really recommend picking some up, or ordering! Wow! They look easy to set up and grow inside. I bought a set of 3 for $8 and I can't wait to get it started when it's time to plant carrots!

I also picked out 5 primrose plants, to put along the garden border, just to add some colour. Beautiful!

Reinventing the blog. Again...

2009-02-25T00:03:00.000-08:00

With spring quickly approaching, I'd really like to make an effort to get going again with the blog and help to document some of the fun things I'm doing with Avari.

Well, today we started with seed planting! I have no idea if it's the right time to do it, but the seeds arrived from Saltspring Seed Company (who have a huge online catalog and super fast shipping). Avari and I trekked out to Canadian Tire and bought some seed trays. Last year it was a bit of a messy disaster for planting in the house, so I wanted an easy way to sprout the seeds.

I bought 2 trays, one specific for tomatos that holds 36 plants and another for general seedlings that holds 72 plants and of course, we had to find a little watering can for Avari, because that's the best part of the whole project!

My packet of goodies.... Mixed climbing peas, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, radishes, eggplant, peppers, lettuce and more. I started all of the packages that said to start indoors 8-10 weeks before putting outside, which would bring us to the end of april.... that's good timing I hope!

Avari trying to open up the packets

Time to hydrate the discs!

It takes a little while for the discs to hydrate so.....

obviously it's time to turn on the Christmas CD, pull out the Santa hat and be silly! (Anyone else still listening to Christmas music???)

Avari planting the mixed peas. Most of the other seeds were too small for her to handle, so she was having fun with the peas

Done! I need to get them closer to the front window, so I'll set up a few chairs tomorrow!

Where did that 6 weeks go?

2008-08-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Holy moly! I just finished up with 6 straight weekends of work and it by like nobody's business. I kept intending to update the blog because I had a heck of a lot to blog about, but most of the week was spent in recovery mode. I've also been on a giant book binge this past month, which has been wonderful!

So, what to share about? Avari has been signed up for her first dance class and I'm pretty excited. Being an alumni of 10 years of ballet, it's fun to imagine her following along. I'd much prefer her to be in a more lyrical emotional kind of dance, but that can be hard to find in a small town. So we have her teeny little ballet shoes, and leotard and they are hanging rather impatiently in the closet while we wait for September 8th to come around.

If you're interested to see what I have been up to this past couple of months visit http://mckinnonphoto.squarespace.com - chances are I've been present for the majority of those wedding photos!

I'm going to be talking a lot about preschool education in the next few weeks with the fall season upon us, as well as Nature Deficit Disorder, Waldorf education, getting ready for Christmas and a whole list more- I hope that you're ready!

So sorry

2008-08-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

I know it's been over a week - but what a week it has been! I worked the 26th in Courtenay, went to vancouver the 28th/29th, and then worked August 1,2,3rd (Mt. Washington, Campbell River and Savary Island).

Needless to say, I'm exhausted and have to recover quickly before we start painting the house. Tomorrow morning.

Healthy Eating

2008-07-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

That's me! I've been on a slide the last 6 weeks and my body has been paying for it. I've had a really hard time getting out of bed, feeling sluggish, and yucky. So, Karen and I made a pact for Health Week.

It started Tuesday, and so I'm on day 3. For some reason, today I feel pretty yucky, but I know it's my body getting rid of all of the built up toxins. I need to look up a good detox tea to make to help it all along.

So I'm doing no wheat, no dairy, no sugar (except for martini night in Vancouver next Monday...)

I'm excited because I've been wanting to get back on the health train and I really want to make it stick this time. I'm even trying to get away from eating as much meat as we do. It's not really necessary to eat it every night!

Poor Avari has had a few rough weeks, and I'm not entirely sure it's not because of my bad eating habits this past month - It's silly because I don't let her eat unhealthy food, and she gets almost no wheat except for playgroup crackers, so why do I think it's OK to pass all of the crud to her?

Healthy Week is upon us!!!

Here's a recipe to try.

1/2 cup of millet
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup quinoa
some fresh grated ginger
squeeze of lemon

Put all of the grain in 3 cups of water. Let it boil until the water has been absorbed and the grains are soft. Add the ginger and lemon (and some honey if you'd like) and enjoy! It's a great breakfast starter with piece of fruit, chock full of natural complete amino acids

Yum! So much better then old porriage

Outdoors-ly Challenged

2008-07-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

That is I. I even had to create my own word in order to describe just how challenged I really am!

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Hiking, biking, canoing, kayaking, mountains,trails... you name it, you can do it here! Yet my repertoire right now consists of going to the main beach and most of the time we get stuck at the playground. Of course, I want Avari to have fun, but I want her to be able to know how to explore where we live and truly enjoy.

I'd like to set a good example! Right now, every evening I have the best of intentions about getting outdoors "tomorrow". Then I get intimidated, and lost and I have no idea what to do.

As I was reading the Saturday Globe and Mail this week there was an article about how to "Primp My Ride".
All of a sudden, I want to ride a bike. A cute pink cruiser with a bag, in my flats and a skirt and flowers in the basket. Never mind the fact that I hate my current bike (it is old and rusty and I think that it takes much to much effort to get up a hill). I think that I'd be more in to riding a bike if I looked like that. I even found toddler seats that can be mounted up front. Avari and I cruising downtown and back. Can I make up uphill on the way home? Is there anyway to test drive a bike to see if I could even make it without passing out?

I'm not sure, but I really want to!

Having Trouble Letting Go....

2008-07-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Now, I know that I tend to pack rat most of my things. I'm good about clearing the clutter a couple of times a year, but there's one thing that I just have too much trouble parting with.

My photos.

I've put over 6000 raw image files on my computer in the past year and this week I got the dreaded message "There is not enough memory on the computer to complete this task"

Yikes! So, my goal today is to go through and delete all of the unusable images - so that I have more room to add photos taken with my new lens! It arrived in the mail, and I'm really enjoying it so far and I can't wait to really give it a go!

I'll be back with some photos after clearing some clutter...

What to blog about

2008-07-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

This week I've been amazed at just how much Avari has grown up in the three days i was away from her this weekend. She has started singing to herself, and she even can finish the sentences in her favourite book by memory (that floored me before our nap today). I know that very soon she's going to be a real little girl instead of a toddler and I haven't decided how that makes me feel yet. I've decided to start living life at her pace - I tend to be a really hustle bustle person by nature, and I like to run from one thing to another, and I think that was frustrating her. I wasn't letting her stop to smell the roses (literally) and let her enjoy and explore her environment.

As many of you know, I have decided that I would like to homeschool Avari, and I think that the teaching can start now. Not teaching in the school sense, but teaching in the sense of letting her learn to take in the environment around her. Teaching her good life habits in her food, in nature. I want her to know that as important as academics are, there is a whole world of knowledge that may be even a little bit more important that is forgotten in school. I want her to grow up grounded and connected to nature and I want her to know how to have fun! Of course, any help in doing this is greatly appreciated, because everything that I think is important for her to learn, are things that I need to learn myself (any good book recommendations anyone?). I think that by watching my little girl live her life, she's going to teach me the best way to live mine.

Karen posted some beautiful pictures of Avari on her blog that she took for Avari's birthday - it's a few posts back. http://mckinnonphoto.squarespace.com

Reading...

2008-07-13T07:40:00.001-07:00

The library bug has officially bit me. I was very skeptical last week, and I'll admit that I tend to stop and pick from the new books bin (there are some really fabulous new books out there), but I am officially enveloped my life in books! I used to be a book a day super reader, but since having Avari, they just fell by the wayside. I would try and read, but I would forget what I read the day before, and couldn't keep the stories straight. Now that we're finally getting 5+ hours of consecutive sleep, my brain is starting to heal and I'm getting full enjoyment again.

On my hairdressing chair at home I now have a pile of 12 books, plus the 4 or 5 that I'm concurrently reading for my La Leche League training. So now I have to admit that I've become an iRead facebook stalker, so now I have a very hefty list built up of books I HAVE to read. Books about herbs, and farming, and making money so that you can farm... I'm very excited to be out of the "fluff book" phase!

I just worked my way through the Automatic Millionaire and although we have started using those principles on our own last month, there's a few more that we can adopt, and now I'm feeling a little guilty about my ever growing yarn stash, so I either need to start making use of that ASAP for our winter gear/Christmas gifts, or start parting with it skein by skein. I'm also reading I Love Dirt in the hopes of helping me learn to love the outdoors. (Not that I don't love outdoor activities, I've just never done them as a family event). Next up is The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears, since Avari is now 2, and although I'm pretty confident that we are deciding against vaccinating, I want to make sure that there aren't a couple that we're just going to delay. I also have The Happy Hooker (crocheting) to help get me in to some easy projects for Christmas.

I know it's still 5.5 months away, but when you're a 12 project girl like myself, you have to get started early in order to get finished!

So, check out my facebook iRead, stalk it and find some great summer reads for yourself!

Weekend of work- or is it,...

2008-07-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to explain how much I love my job! I get to learn a ton, go to great weddings, eat awesome food, have sleep overs at Karen's house and have a little bit of me time. I think it's actually very therapeutic. I'm pretty exhausted from the day, and I REALLY looking forward to getting some undisturbed sleep in past 4:30 AM sleep.

This morning with Avari was pretty great. We had 2 hours to kill during Kevin's meeting, so we did downtown Courtenay at her pace. I think that I'm usually in such a rush to get places, that I forget how much fun it is for her to explore- and it's really great for me to slow down and enjoy all of the incredible things she is doing lately. Today, she actually understood that I was going to be away working. She wasn't sad, but she knows that i'm going to Karrot's house for 2 days. (Karrot is what she named her dolly after Karen.)

Here are a couple of pictures that I took from today, because I know I'm really going to miss her tomorrow!

I'm kind of on a super blown out high contrast kick right now...

Forgot to add...

2008-07-10T14:43:00.001-07:00

The whole point of showing off my garden was to share the awesome website I found about gardening with children!

http://www.kidsgardening.com

Avari has taken to it as well as a just 2 year old would. She knows that she can pick the chives to eat, and the nasturtiums as well. I was really getting in to this site for ways to involve her for next year!

Gardening Update

2008-07-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to feel more positive about my first gardening experience! I was a little frustrated last month because my zucchini, squash, corn, pumpkins and cukes were all disappearing at a rapid pace. Now that July has come about, things are flourishing!

We harvested, lettuce, peas, and some fava beans for tonight. I got some collards from the community garden yesterday and they are really tasty in salad (just soak quite a bit ahead of time to soften the prickles). Everything seems to be growing and Astrid found some information about succession planting which has me plotting about what I can start this week in the green house to have for fall.

Here are some pictures of what the garden looks like now- I'm pretty proud to compare them to the May and June photos.

Our fig tree is now a tree (not a stick)

Lettuce, garlic, kale

Romano pole beans
Celery and Broccoli

Romano Beans

Ive Been A-Sewing!

2008-07-09T22:02:00.001-07:00

So, I decided to stop being afraid of my sewing machine and try and learn how to use it! I started browsing amazon, and came across my own personal sewing bible.

Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew

the motto is no pins and no patterns - ummmm..... I'm in love!!!

So, after browsing the chapters a few nights ago and armed with a great tutorial, I started sewing.... and sewing...

and here's what I came up with (please excuse the photos, my camera is in the shop)

These started out as an old pair of Kevin's corduroys and are in the process of being transformed into a pair of experimental orveralls. They are still lacking the overall bit, I'm trying to gather inspiration for something fun for that! The pockets are recycled and are actual pockets.

These are a pair of gauchos made from a scrap piece of upholstery fabric. (I did use a pattern for inspiration). I'm going to put 4 large buttons on them, add a clasp at the back and put a black cuff on the legs

Here's Avari testing out the size while having a snack- note my abandoned crochet project in the background and the trail of yarn (I did finish a good portion of it this evening). i'm hoping to make a hat out of the left-over fabric

Here is my first shirt!!! I'm really proud of this because it's from scratch- no pattern, I just used a shirt of Avari's for the size and made it a bit bigger. The shape looks funny because it's hanging on the back of the couch. It really does drape nicely!

So that is my week! If you've made it this far, then you'll get a sneak peek at my new secret project! I've only half finished coding it, and it still has a long way to go, but you can start posting your great finds and crafts - http://www.fromhandtoheart.com

Are you really in to yarn?

2008-07-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

http://www.woolgirl.com/

Just something to tide you over, while I'm working on retrieving the password for my top secret project...

Something in the works....

2008-07-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

So, after my last long blurb, I started getting one of my wild brainstorms. As a result, I've just added a new domain, working on setting up wordpress with fantastico (I love you fantastico), and I'm trying to keep the brainstorming going while I wait for the domain to actually become active. Sometimes if I can't keep the train rolling, it tends to die off!

Anyways, it's kind of a secret, totally great, and I'm really excited to unveil it sometime in hopefully the near future!

Something Important to Talk About

2008-07-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

I've been involved with an online community called Hyenacart for almost 2 years now. It started with a moderate addiction to finding cute handmade cloth diapers for Avari, and has spiraled now to include a good percentage of my shopping. I am a huge advocate for Work At Home Moms (affectionately known in the community as WAHMS), and also for handmade items. I think it is so important for our economy and the world now to start thinking about what we are buying, and where it was made.

I used to be a huge consumer. Living in downtown Vancouver and Victoria, it's hard to get away from the constant stream of everything that is screaming at you to buy it. In Powell River, welll.... not so much! We don't have a very big shopping district, and there isn't the same type of fashion frenzy here. Even my beloved MAC makeup has fallen by the wayside. I'm still de-cluttering 4 years later from city life!!! Kevin and I now are pretty "poor" consumers - besides food, we don't purchase a heck of a lot. Kevin just buys books, I think we're at the rate of buying 4 or 5 pieces of clothing a year for ourselves, and I am a yarn and fabric hoarder. (I can justify this with the intention of creating very useful items of clothing for ourselves). Otherwise, we've learned to not need things. We're lucky to have wonderful parents that provide so much for Avari, or else she'd probably be living in the land of frugal with us!

OK- so where am I going with all of this right? We don't "need" to have all of the things that we think that we want. We don't need 4 bottles of expensive shampoo and a cabinet full of cosmetics (except the contact solution). We don't need to shop huge corporations! Trust me, we're living proof here. About the only thing we look at at Walmart are fabric sewing patterns. So why do we do it?

Have you ever sat down and thought about the carbon footprint for every piece of something that you buy? From the factories that build it, to the gas to get it to the store, to get it to your home- I'm sure it's huge! What about shopping close to home and getting back to how we used to do things?

We know that handmade items last longer, and are better for the earth. There is always the excuse that it costs more - of course it does! There are actual hands creating it for you, as opposed to a machine. Trying to be a WAHM in this day and age is pretty thankless. June of Rising Sun Earthworks (the most incredible pottery you've ever seen), estimates that she makes .25 cents an hour from doing her craft, because in order to stay mildly competitive, she has to lower her prices. Yet she does it for hours a day, because she loves her craft and loves to make things for people and the demand is there.

Think about this though. What if we got out of the habit of buying so much, and then buying just the items we need. It would be OK then, to spend more on one item - you'd still probably end up better off in the long run. The Waldorf Community has a wonderful philosophy for dolls A beautiful hand made, all natural 15" doll runs about $110 right now. (That makes your eyes want to pop out of your head right?). Think about it this way? How many cheap plastic, 20$ baby do this and thats are you buying your child in the first 3 years of their life? It probably ads up to more 6 doesn't it? Waldorf believes that a child should have a doll that they can bond to and cherish, that they don't need to have a whole closet full (which are stuffed in the closet because they can't fully appreciate them all). If we follow the Waldorf philosophy in life, things start to get a little clearer...

I'm rambling again because this is something that I'm getting really passionate about. If you're interested in making your life just a little bit more handmade and close to the heart, there is a pledge at http://www.buyhandmade.org/ . It was geared towards the Christmas Holidays, but there is a ton of information and links about the movement. There is a big discussion going on in the Hyenacart forums about a challenge that we can present to help get people moving on this issue- I'm of course running away with the idea, trying to come up with an idea to create a site and website banners and all of that...

keep you posted!

Favourite Books

2008-07-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Avari has a library that is starting to rival that of Kevin and I now, and I have to say that I am always searching for books that will be enjoyable for me as well as her. (We've had quite enough of Caillou One or Many.) So far, I have 2 favourites that tickle my funny bone everytime that I would like to share with everyone.

This first book, Woolbur, will probably only bring maximum amusement to people who are involved in the fibre arts, but the story and artwork is incredible on it's own!

Woolbur's list of Do's and Don'ts: DO express yourself creatively… DON'T worry if you weave your forelock into a pot holder! DO march to your own beat… DON'T worry when Maa and Paa tell you to stay with the herd! DO be bold and brave… DON'T be afraid to BE YOURSELF! Woolbur is not like other sheep. He hangs out with wild dogs, cards his own wool to avoid the shearing barn, and even dyes his wool blue. "Don't worry!" says Grandpaa when Maa and Paa fret that Woolbur is different. But when they tell their son to follow the flock, the opposite happens—the flock follows him! Soon everyone is copying his wild hairstyles and taking turns on the spinning wheel. Leave it to Woolbur to find a new way to step ahead of the herd. Spunky, funky, and refreshingly distinct, Woolbur will strike a chord with anyone who's ever felt different. And that's all of us!
(courtesy of google books)

The other is a book that I stumbled upon at the library last year and had to buy. I even has a sequel now that we will be picking up for Avari's Christmas present next year.

Mr. Pusskins doesn't want to play mouse games.He thinks snuggling is for the birds.Having his fur combed?Listening to cozy bedtime stories?Boring!Mr. Pusskins goes in search of adventure.But along the way he finds out how much love is waiting for him at home.

The illustrations in this book are hilarious!!! I think I laugh out loud every time!

What are your favourite children's books in your library?

The Library

2008-07-05T16:37:00.001-07:00

I am working on embracing the library. I have to admit that I am a bit of a book snob- I really love to get new books and open up their crisp covers and smell the fresh now pages. I think it's half of the joy of reading! But alas, being on a budget is taking away all of that fun. When I was pregnant, I bought a huge stack of books from garage sales, and it's just been in this past few months that I have worked my way through them all.

I really feel that since I've been out of school, the amount of intelligent reading material that crosses my hands is well - pretty negligible. I was browsing old essays that I used to write in college and wow! I definitely would not be able to reproduce anything of that quality now. With the thought of school looming in the not so distant future, I feel like a need an intelligence makeover! So, off to the library for I.

I'm trying to make a habit of visiting once a week and make it a routine that Avari and I can enjoy. (and Kevin when he isn't working). I've decided that I'm going to take out 3 books a week but only interesting reference books that I can learn from.

This is my list for this week. (and yes, they don't include anything about rocket science- it has been about 6 years since school, so I don't want to have a brain meltdown!)

1. Care-free plants a guide to growing the 200 hardiest, low-maintenance, long-living beauties in Canada - This is kind of a cheater because I won't learn anything about gardening except how to cheat! But, I will learn about the easiest 200 plants out there to grow!

2.The automatic millionaire : a powerful one-step plan to live and finish rich -Because, well- who doesn't want to be an automatic millionaire! Kevin and I are really interested in how to build up our equity so we can start making our farm a reality.

3. Threads - This is a sewing magazine, so I guess this is kind of a cheater as well! I've been complaining that I don't know how to sew, and I would like to sew Avari's wardrobe for the fall, so I needed some inspiration to get me going.

I have a stack of books to be reading soon for my training as an LLL leader, so I'm going to become a super reader. If anyone has any idea how to add more reading time in to an already pretty full schedule with a waiting list of tasks, please let me know!

Embracing Creativity (and my first shared project ideas!)

2008-07-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

So, in the mail this week arrived a package of incredible books from Amazon.ca - (recommendations compliment of Comox Valley Kids) It was perfect timing because I just finished one of my summer fluff reads the evening before.

I delved right in to "The Creative Family" and pretty much browsed the entire book before I went to bed. It is so inspiring! I know that creativity is something that needs to be nurtured, and I have difficulties fostering my creative abilities. Yes, I can knit and sew, but using a pattern isn't the same as drawing something from your heart.

I think I have a fear of personal expression!

This morning armed with a few basic ideas, I took Avari outside this morning with a bucket to do something creative with one of her favourite hobbies. "Picking Weeds" (I wasn't exactly sure how to turn her most favourite past time of throwing rocks in to an art project...any ideas?)

For Avari's birthday, we bought her an easel and a basket full of art supplies and we've been having fun painting, but beyond that our little art table and supplies have been neglected. What a perfect way to start!

Supplies Needed

-A bucket for collecting leaves, flowers and other outside bits of nature
-A piece of paper (let the LOs pick the colour)
-Glue (I used a glue stick but white glue might work better)
If you can find some mactac to preserve the project - that would work perfectly!
-Picture Frame if you'd like to hang it on the wall

She picked out a blue piece of paper which was surprising because normally she goes for orange, and we rolled up our sleeves and got started

I manned the glue stick, but let Avari decide where the glue was going to go on the paper.

I also lent a hand pressing the leaves and flowers where she wanted them to go since her little fingers couldn't cover as much area.

Basically, she just kept creating until she was ready to stop and....

VOILA!

Do you have any great, easy, fun art projects to share? Let us know!

There's life after 7?

2008-07-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Apparently it's true, the world keeps moving after 7PM! It's amazing after 2 years of being indoors once a little one goes to sleep, it's hard to imagine what the rest of the world does.

Yesterday was Canada Day, and we got the wonderful gift of a babysitter for the night! We ventured out at 8:00, wide eyed and wondering what to do with ourselves. There was a wonderful party happening down at the beach and it seemed like thousands of Powell Riverites were there for the fun. We even got to check out the scene at Local Locos and vowed to go back on our next quarter-yearly jaunt in to the night.

It's amazing what a night out can do to make you feel like your old self. Carefree, no worries. Heck, no tiptoeing around the house! (and did I mention sleeping in until 6:00 - wow!).

I think that kids "happen" to alot of relationships. Obviously kids are an incredible thing, but it is a sudden, complete change of life and it is easy for old habits to die hard and fast. A previous cozy marriage with routine and dates all of a sudden can be pushed aside. Add exhaustion in to the mix and you can come out with a tidy little mess.

I think I'm starting to realize that a weekly (OK weekly may be a bit optimistic) date is in order to have a permanent spot in the schedule.

So, what do you do to help retain your old self?

Thinking about 10 years...

2008-07-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

10 years ago this week began my epic year. I think everyone must have one of those - the summer of memories that get shared forever, the year you long to go back and experience again. I feel like I would like to share with you what I remember from that year, before I start to forget details, things are still pretty vivid in my mind.

The Summer of 98 - Where it all began

It's hard to believe that 10 years have past. I had an easier time last year imagining that a was a decade older than high school, but somehow I can't quite wrap my head around this one.

It started the first week in July. I was training to go to Regionals with my horse Kosto (Who passed away this year at the ripe old age of 23). I was working on Driediger's Strawberry Farms, and I knew that I had to go away for competitions, so I sent my friend Roxanna in to take my shifts. Roxanna and I knew each other from Grade 9 French Immersion, and Hallway Lunches, Grad, and a fun summer of roller hockey and SNL. Our true connected friendship though, I believe didn't start until this past week 10 years ago.

Throughout that summer at Driedigers we connected over Matthew Good, bought our guitars and started dreaming of our own band, danced in the booth, did phone in radio concerts, envisioned funny things about the next door turf farm, stayed up really late watching SNL, and talked alot about life. I went to my first big concert- Edgefest 98 which was a truly a "moment" of my life. I met James and Jenny who Roxy met at UVIC and would later become friends of mine as well. When it was time for Roxy to go back to university in the fall I was heartbroken at being left behind at school here. I made plans to visit frequently, and I did.

I visited Victoria for the first time for Halloween Weekend. 18, wide eyed and unsure of what fun we would get up to, armed with visions of university parties and dorms. Well, it sure didn't disappoint. I remember getting off the bus in the dark, wandering with directions to find a dorm, and ended up calling Roxanna to come and meet me. She brought Liv with her (I think that I met Liv once before at a hotel previously and we went to the movies, but I can't totally remember- sorry Livy!). We went to the school movie theatre and watched Army of Darkness which is a pretty wild movie itself. Liv and Roxanna had a good start on some Malibu and Pineapple juice, and I think I tried some out a bit myself- that would have been my first drink. I slept on some couch cushions on the floor of the dorm. At 3 in the morning, there was a knock on the door, a vaguely remember sitting up groggily as Roxy opened the door and there was James and a friend at the door. Afterwards I asked Roxanna who the friend was - she told me and I stated. "I'm going to marry him".

Now of course, this would be an incredible story for future generations if that friend was Kevin, so I'm sorry to burst the bubble, but I didn't meet Kevin until about 3 years later. So, why did I mention the story? Well that first meeting began a pretty significant portion of my growing up life.

The next night, was Halloween. I was dressed as a a pink bunny. I had made some ears, and a fuzzy shirt and was wearing overalls. Roxanna took me to a house party, I think it was her friend Kate's house. It was on the bus on the way to the party that I got to see Jenny and James again, and met their friends Scott B(officially known at the time as Wacko) and Scott H. I remember Roxy being a princess, James being a slug (a truly epic costume complete with garbage bags and vasoline), Scott H being Shaggy and Wacko being James Brown. After the party, we went back to the basement of Margaret Newton and that's when I had my first taste of alcohol. I could lie and say it was a taste, but James was very generous in letting me try just about everything in his cabinet. Having no experience previously, I truly didn't understand the concept of limits. There was Lucky beer, coolers, Wildcat, White Russians, gosh there must have been more. The kicker was a shot of straight dark rum from a guy named Nick. After that things get understandably fuzzy.

Even having to ride a very rocky ferry the next day didn't deter me from visiting again and again - pretty much every month. I was developing friends and crushes and more of my real life was in Victoria than Vancouver. The kicker was the Huevos Rancheros concert in April, the first real true kiss, and knowing that my future was meant to be in Victoria. I had to go to school through the summer, but having a fall break - I jumped on the chance to move there for 4 months.

I have to say, that those 4 months didn't shape up to be as exciting as I would have hoped. I suppose that I imagined that I would be having as much fun every day as I did one weekend a month visiting, but I don't regret getting my first bit of true independence (and a toe ring ;) ) So in saying that, my epic year ended through the summer of 99.

I did end up moving to Victoria the fall of 2000. A lot of things had changed at that point and there were high points (weekly 80's nights that I still miss to this day every Wednesday) and low points (a broken, no scratch that, crushed heart and strained but mended friendships).

Things have changed so much since those years. I'm happier now on a whole than I ever was then as a young women struggling to find her way, but I still long sometimes to have it all back again - even for just a weekend. Try and live like we did with reckless abandonment, limited responsibilities and randomness. To sit in the shade and play our guitars, go out to all hours wandering and wondering. To be panicking about turning 20 not 30, imagine that!

So, I'm going to raise an imaginary toast to the summer of 1998, everyone in it and how it shaped my future. Cheers!

OK- On to Serious Business

2008-06-30T11:43:00.001-07:00

I want to chat today about Balancing. Not on a beam, but balancing life- not necessarily a schedule, but even finding an emotional balance. It's something I've always struggled with because I like to take on a hundred different things at one time, but rarely can I get any satisfaction from them because I can't focus. (Hence the name of my blog...)

On the way home on the ferry yesterday, I had it all figured out. Get a big chalkboard, make a schedule and lists and stick to it. Then I came home to a house still looking like a birthday party, loads of laundry, unpacking, gardening work... and a teething toddler.

Flash forward to today - 30 degrees weather, a clingy toddler, and all of the above list to try and accomplish. Yikes! Well, I did manage to do the gardening and a load of laundry (although I couldn't bear to put the dryer on), but not much else because I became so overwhelmed I couldn't accomplish anything except a nice visit.

So, I want to know how you balance family and home life (and work as well). What do you do? What are your tips to getting it all done - or do you?

I think that it's going to start with an earlier bedtime, which is going to be a challenge - and getting back in to some great healthy food, then accomplishing more in the mornings will be easier, leaving the rest of the day open to fun activities for Avari, and more productive fun crafts for me in the evening.

Melllltttttinnnnnggggg!

2008-06-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

Wow is it ever hot! This is day 3 of our true summer weather and it seems like we have stepped in to Arizona. I'm looking up ways to acclimatize myself because I haven't been known to adapt well to extremes! :P

This weekend went by in a blur - I'm very happy to say that Avari's mouth has healed up and she's nursing like a champ again, so no worries there. Of course, now I realize that is something that I'm going to have to start thinking about. I have no intentions to lead the process, I believe in child-led weaning, so I'll just have to realize that when her body decides it's time, it's time! I had a great time at the wedding on Saturday, the photos Karen took are going to be fantastic, and I am so truly thankful that she lets me crash at her house and get a good night sleep! John made us a fantastic breakfast, I borrowed a slow cooker cookbook, got to work on the sweater and really get in to the book I'm reading, and voila - now I'm home again!

Garden Check:
1/2 of the garden is doing incredible, 1/2 won't take.

Front Yard - The peas are a good 6-7 feet tall now, and there are peas starting to grow, the fava beans are getting large, the bean plants have finally started to wind themselves around the string and are taking off (I guess the soil just needed to warm up). My lilies have opened, the passiflora vine is ready to bloom, I'm waiting on the chamomile flowers to open so I can harvest them, the rose bushes aren't looking hot, but there are some beautiful roses coming in. Even the front rock garden is looking well kept!

Backyard- Well, first the positives. Lettuce is ready to start getting a mixed salad, the celery is beginning to look like celery, broccoli plants are standing tall, the garlic is growing. My back rock garden is starting to grow and fill in, I think it will be so beautiful next year! Slowly, plant by plant, I'm working on the area around the fruit trees. I have a cherry on our cherry tree!!!! Great first harvest. Both the cherry and the peach plum are really growing. We may even get a few raspberries this year on our baby bushes.

Negatives - The cucmbers, zucchini and squash all keep disappearing. I gave up on the carrots after replanting 5 times. This is frustrating me SO much! It seems like the yellow marigolds are doing their job, but the plants around the orange ones aren't making it.

Greenhouse! We have cherry tomatoes and Italian Peppers growing! The others should take off and even my tomatoes I planted last month from seed are getting big, they may even produce, I'm hoping I ddin't wait until too late!