Zaza's Little World

Project 366 ~ January 22 to February 7

2012-02-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Transformation Update :: End of January

2012-01-28T17:16:00.000-08:00

Back in December of last year, I announced that I was dumping the fake colouring. The last time I coloured my hair was late November. I have stuck to my plan and I am happy to see the transformation. I still have a long way to go, but I can see more silver/white hair! It is interesting to me to see how different it is compared to a couple of years ago when I tried this. Last time, I had a lot more of my natural dark brown hair left and didn't really like the mix look I was seeing.
I am excited to see more and looking forward to the progression! I am also letting my hair grow, haven't even gone for a trim yet. I will soon, just to help the growth along.
Here is a quick shot of the progress so far:

It's difficult to get a good photo at this point. The first one is with my regular camera, the bottom one with the iTouch. The colour looks different under different light too. It seems to be coming in pretty evenly though, no big patches. I am a work in progress!

So close!! My 52 books challenge of 2011

2012-01-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

I was so close to completing the challenge for 2011, which was to read 52 boooks in 52 weeks. According to Goodreads, I read 46 books. I didn't include all the read-alouds that I did with the kids, or the books we read for school, so I probably did successful complete the challenge. I prefer to leave the number where it is though, because it represents the books I read for myself.

Here are my top favourites from last year:

- The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner
- The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Free the Children by Craig Kielburger

I am taking on the challenge this year again. I hope I have enough time with our big move to read!

Project 366 ~ Nine More

2012-01-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Keeping up with my project. January has been grey, only a few days of snow but we made sure to enjoy those!

Say Something Nice

2012-01-15T09:38:00.001-08:00

Project 366 : First 12

2012-01-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

I hope I can keep this up this year, trying to share a small photo for each day of this year.

Here are the first twelve days of January 2012. It's a little backwards, January 1st is the mosaic at the bottom right, January 2nd is the snow next to it...

You can see all of the photos individually here.

My word for 2012 : Adventure

2012-01-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Adventure is what we are starting, right from the beginning of the year! My husband accepted an offer to transfer from Ontario to Prince Edward Island with his work. We will be moving there as soon as our house is sold and closes. What an adventure this will be! I am looking forward to being near the ocean again. I grew up on the Mediterranean Sea and miss it so much. We have lived near lakes, but I don't find them the same. The ocean is where I feel at home.
We have a lot of other "things" we are looking forward to, fresh clean air, a lifestyle that seems to mirror our way of life much better, culture, history, and more...
I am not sure how much time I will have over the next few months to blog, but I will try to come here and give updates as much as possible.
A group of flickr friends are getting together again this year for a weekly self portrait challenge, so the photo above was my first one. I am continuing on my personal adventure of embracing my silver hair too, will do an update photo soon. And turning 40 in May will be a big adventure too!

So...yes...my word for 2012 is adventure!

Changes and a decision

2011-12-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have been working on my blog and renovating it.

The name has changed, you can read more about the meaning in the new "about me" tab. The look has changed, just cleaned it up. I will likely change the background again, but I like the fonts I picked this time.

I haven't written goals for the new year, and I don't know if I will, but I do know that I want to use this blog more for myself and to share with others as well.

I am nearing my 40th birthday and with that, I have made a few decisions. One of them is to say goodbye to fake colour for good. I have tried in the past and wasn't able to just let go. Now I am done. I don't like anything fake, especially for food and personal products. So why was I going away from my ways just for my hair? No more! I think I went through this back and forth in the last couple of years to prepare me for this final decision. I feel very strongly about this decision. No matter how bad it gets, I will continue. I have some hats to cover up with while it is growing out. I will get creative with hair accessories if needed!

I am telling you this because I will try to post regularly about the process. It will help me keep focused and I know I am not the only one going through that transformation. I found a website that has great information and support: Going Gray Looking Great. It's nice to see other young women embracing what nature is giving them!

I decided just after colouring my hair last time that I wouldn't do it again. That was November 26th. I took some photos this morning, can't see a whole lot of white/silver hair at this point in the photos, but wanted to document the process anyway.

No more! The date is the last colouring I did.

A quick picture just to show my fake hair colour

When I pull back my hair a little, I can notice white hair already!

I am looking forward to the transformation. I feel like I will finally just be me completely. I might need encouragement along the way though..so don't be afraid to leave me some!

A cozy Christmasy reading spot

2011-12-03T07:22:00.001-08:00

Coming Home

2011-12-01T13:50:00.001-08:00

I finished this wallhanging for our master bedroom two nights ago. It might be a little silly but I wrapped it and will be giving it to my husband for Christmas!
The pattern is from Simplify with Camille Roskelley which is a great quilting book, with clear explanations. I can't wait to try another pattern from her book.
This wallhanging was machine quilted and measures 34x34 inches. I found most of the fabrics at Walmart (!!) in the tiny pre-cut section. The white was from Fabricland.

Quilting :: NaBloPoMo Day Fourteen

2011-11-27T06:41:00.001-08:00

I haven't been doing very well with this challenge...life is busy and that is when blogging takes a back seat!

Here is what I have been working on with quilting lately. The first two photos are of Adrienne's Christmas present. This is a flannel quilt and it gave me some trouble at first, but once I changed the pattern, it was much more enjoyable. Adrienne chose the back fabric, I think it's so much fun and perferct for a teenager!

I have also been working on a special little quilt for our master bedroom. I have kept this one a secret from my husband and he will be the one opening it Christmas morning.

I had used some of the same fabrics for a little friendship bag for a dear friend's birthday.

La Lune :: NaBloPoMo Day Thirteen

2011-11-13T18:06:00.001-08:00

sooc

I just love the moon. I also love taking photos of it.

Progress :: NaBloPoMo Day Twelve

2011-11-12T13:16:00.001-08:00

Making progress on Adrienne's warm quilt "take two"! I had to take apart all I had done before. This time it's working better and even though I am not quite sure about this new look, she loves it! She had asked for a more scrappy, messy look...well she got it!

Re-do :: NaBloPoMo Day Ten

2011-11-10T15:04:00.001-08:00

I have been working on a flannellette quilt for my oldest daughter for Christmas. It wasn't going well at all, so I had to take it apart and think of another pattern. Here is what I came up with. I will share some of the work I have done so far tomorrow, when the light is better!

Wordless Wednesday :: NaBloPoMo Day Nine

2011-11-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

Big Miracle :: NaBloPoMo Day Eight

2011-11-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

This looks like another beautiful movie based on a true story:

Not Perfect :: NaBloPoMo Day Day Seven

2011-11-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

I don't drink coffee regularly, but I do enjoy Starbucks Frappuccino once in a while. I found a recipe to make this drink at home on Pinterest and tried it this morning. Here is the recipe: Make a Starbucks Frappuccino for $0.32.

I used cooled coffee that I had saved a cup in the fridge of the PC Candy Cane Coffee we made yesterday. It doesn't have a very strong peppermint taste, I could use more minty taste!

Anyway, I blended skim milk, ice, and coffee in the blender. The consistency wasn't exactly like the real thing, but the taste was very nice. It makes a lot too! But, I think I will stick with Starbucks since I only get it occasionally as a special treat.

Reading :: NaBloPoMo Day Six

2011-11-06T03:40:00.000-08:00

I love reading. This year, I haven't read as much as last year. Every year, I take part in a challenge to read 52 books. I am nowhere near that amount for 2011, but that is fine with me. According to my Goodreads account, I have read 27 books in my 52 books shelf. I don't count every single book I read. If I did that, if I included all the books I read aloud to the kids for fun or for their schooling, then I would very likely be way past the 52!

I just started The Crying Tree. It's November's choice for the commonplace book club. I am also reading Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. I don't usually like romance novels, but this series is interesting so far, almost a historical fiction.

How about you? What do you enjoy reading? Are you taking part in the 52 books a year challenge? Leave a comment to let me know!

Mistake :: NaBloPoMo Day Five

2011-11-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes mistakes happen. I thought I was doing so well with Adrienne's winter quilt, but no... I realized something was wrong when I noticed how it seemed to be curving. At first, I thought it was because of the fabric. Flannelette stretches more than regular cotton. Well, it wasn't just that. I had messed up! I have had to take the quilt apart, row by rown and now I will be starting again. I will be paying more attention this time! I should still be finished by Christmas.

Finished Quilts :: NaBloPoMo Day Four

2011-11-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

2009 Calendar Quilt

I finished this one this summer finally! Each block represents
a month and each strip in that block a day.
I had themes for certain months, coloured ones.
January is a the top left in white and blues to represent the snow, cold and blue skies.
February is the second top from left with pinks and reds for Valentine's Day.
March in green, etc...

Christmas Traveling Threads Quilt

This is a very special quilt, part of the Traveling Threads quilting bee that I took part in 2009.

All these beautiful blocks were made for me by the members of the flickr quilting group.

I added green sashing and a red border all around. Quilted by machine.

Back of the Christmas Traveling Threads Quilt
I used all the leftover fabrics I had to make a scrappy back for this quilt.

Fresh Air :: NaBloPoMo Day Two

2011-11-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos from our walk Sunday. We went to a local nature reserve.

I love spending time in nature. It always makes me feel refreshed.

I also love to see my kids enjoying it. They are not always enthousiastic

about going, but once we are there, they love it.

NaBloPoMo!

2011-11-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

In 2008, 2009, and 2010 I participated in NaNoWriMo and won 2 of those years! This year, I decided to not participate in the month-long novel writing challenge. Doing NaNoWriMo is amazing but it does take a whole lot of time and I didn't want to get behind with our homeschooling. My kids did participate last year and they both won their challenges. They are happy that they participated but didn't want to do it again and I was fine with that.

I still felt that I needed to do something, so I looked up the blogging challenge I remembered reading about last year. Blogging every day for the month of November sounds like something I can manage this year. My blog could use a bit more regularity!

See you again real soon...tomorrow!

Homemade Gifts :: Progress

2011-10-16T11:25:00.001-07:00

Almost done with the top!

Homemade Christmas Gifts ~ Getting Started!

2011-10-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? I took a break from blogging here at my corner for most of the summer. I am back now to our regular routine of homeschooling and getting organized for Christmas. I prefer to make gifts instead of buying them, so this year will be a homemade Christmas again.

I started this summer Andre's gift. See this pile of old t-shirts? I am making him a scarf with these. This T-shirt scarf will be so soft and comfortable. I am using this tutorial: T-shirt scarves: The Art of Repurposing.

I am making a flannel quilt for Adrienne. I found some fun fabrics at our local Fabricland. She likes rectangles instead of squares. At first, I thought I was going to make her a rag quilt, but then we both decided on a basic rectangle quilt pattern like this one from Simple Quilts & Sewing:

Celeste always likes to keep me company when I am sewing/quilting or cooking, so here she is working on the felt garland that we started last year. Adrienne and Andre are out with the Air Cadets for a day of gliding.

I am going to do a little makeover on this blog over the next couple of weeks. I hope you have enjoyed the last couple of months. I am happy to be back!

A Month!

2011-08-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

A month has gone by since last time I posted here! I can't believe it's been that much time. Summer has been busy for us and wonderful, lots of beach days, time spent with friends, and fun outings.

I have been busier with my main blog and Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest? I started not long ago and now use it as my main bookmark spot. It's wonderful, visual and well organized.

We started our sixth year of homeschooling August 11. These last two weeks have gone remarkably smoothly. I now have a grade 9, 7 and 2!

I also have chopped off my hair again. It felt so nice to not have that weight, even if it wasn't very long, I was feeling it. Short hair for me is fun and so easy to care. Here is a quick photo I took to show my new hair.

We'll be going camping soon and then things will be a bit more quiet, which will leave me some time for blogging again. See you then! Enjoy the rest of your summer, I know I will :)

i ♥ these

2011-07-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Taken by Celeste (top) and Andre (bottom) at the new park in our subdivision.

I love my children, and I also love these two photographs.

Adrienne, my oldest, is away for two weeks at Air Cadet camp

and we miss her a ton,

but it is nice to have some time with just these two as well!

Week 6 :: 12 Week Sprint

2011-07-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

Another week flew by!
I didn't record any food last week. I am not going to give any excuses about that. I knew I wouldn't, but as usual, I did make a point of making healthy choices all week. I also stayed away from sugar and drank a lot of water. It was hot and humid, so that was easy to do!

I completed a few workouts last week. I ran twice, with a total of 6.52km. I also biked with my kids, a 6.6 km ride (round trip).

I am now halfway through this challenge. My goal for the last half is to continue eating healthy, continue cutting the sugar, continue drinking lots of water, and to add more workouts.

Week 5 :: 12 Week Sprint

2011-07-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last week was much better! I was way more focused on my goals and managed to accomplish more in my fitness and nutrition goals.

I did 5 running workouts, starting my 13.1 training app again, from the beginning, for a total of 18.86km. I also biked 6.6km with Adrienne at a faster pace than our leisurely family bike rides.

I also kept track of my food on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I wrote down half of Fridays and nothing all weekend. I really don't enjoy writing this stuff down, but it does help me to see what I am missing. I didn't do as well with drinking water this week, but it wasn't too bad.

I hope I can keep going now!

Update: I just realized I said I would actually share my food log with you! So here we go:

Sunday
lunch: wrap with chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, dijon mustard + carrot salad (shredded carrots and vinaigrette) + water
snack: 1.5 cups of popcorn (Indiana) + water
dinner: pizza (frozen PC Blue Menu)(chicken, spinach, tomato) + sweet potato fries + water

Monday
breakfast: 2 slices raisin-cinnamon bread with margarine + 1 slice whole wheat bread with almond butter + water
mid-morning: smoothie (berries, vanilla almond milk, plain yogurt, vegetarian protein powder)
lunch: ? (I don't have anything written down)
dinner: chicken breats + green peas
snack: 1/2 mint Aero chocolate bar

Tuesday
breakfast: 2 slices whole wheat with almond butter/peach jam + 1 slice raisin-cinnamon bread
lunch: wrap with chicken, tomatoes, swiss cheese, lettuce, dijon mustard + 3 halves devilled eggs
snack: cucumbers + crackers
dinner: cereal + almond milk

Wednesday
breakfast: 2 slices raisin-cinnamon bread with margarine + water
lunch: salami + hummus + pita bread
dinner: scrambled eggs + sautéed veggies (onions, peppers)

Thursday
breakfast: 2 slices raisin-cinnamon bread with margarine + plain yogurt
lunch: protein smoothie
dinner: out with Andre - Arby's Philly Sandwich + water
snack: popcorn (Indiana)

Friday:
breakfast: 2 slices rainsin-cinnamon bread with margarine + plain yogurt
lunch: ?
dinner: rainbow cheese-filled tortellini with sautéed veggies (garlic, peppers, onions)
snack: guacamole + multigrain tortilla chips + cantaloupe

Saturday:
breakfast: homemade granola with almond milk

Friday's dinner

"Friendship Bag" :: Homemade Gift

2011-07-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I made a tote bag for a friend who will be having her baby soon. Another friend made her a quilt and we both gave her our gifts last night, so I can post about this now!
The tutorial from ps. I quilt I used is great, very easy and clear to follow. I adjusted the size so it would be larger.

Week 3 & 4 :: 12 Week Sprint

2011-07-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

Eclipsed

Two weeks have passed since my last update for the 12 week sprint. If this was a real race to the finish, I would be last or maybe I wouldn't even finish it. I am not impressed with myself right now!

I haven't kept track of my food or my workouts. I haven't really done any "workouts" in the last two weeks. I have been physically active, walking every morning with Orion, going for bike rides with my family, but no actual workouts. I also have been eating well, this season is so wonderful for all its fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables easily found. I have paid attention to my sugar intake and to how much water I drink (still not enough H2O). But I haven't kept track of my food intake.

I usually have a positive attitude about my fitness and healthy eating. I tend to think that since I still am physically active and that I do watch what I eat, I am ok. I think that this is a good attititude to have, but lately I have realized that it isn't helping me get results. What I would like is to loose ten pounds and feel more fit. I am tired of seeing 130-133 on my scale for the last 4-5 years. 10 pounds to loose is not a lot, but I still need to work hard to reach my goal. And I haven't. Just "watching" what I eat and making healthy choices, and making sure I get some exercice everyday...that isn't doing it for me.

So...I need to really get into this challenge. No more just being happy with myself. No more thinking "well, I could do a lot worse" and "it's only a few pounds I need to loose"...etc...

This is it. In next week's update, I need to have a record of at least 5 true workouts. By true, I mean jogging, "fast" biking (not leisure bike ride with the family), Wii workout (zumba or other), Nike training app. I also need to share with you a food log of at least 5 days. If I don't do that, give me crap and remind me of this post, please!!

The challenge is on. Wish me success!

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

WIP ~ Calendar Quilt

2011-06-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

I am almost finished this Calendar Quilt, only need to add the binding to it. I started this project in 2009. Each rectangle block represents a month of that year and each strip in each block represent a day from that month! It was fun to make and I kept up with it that year as I built the blocks, then the top sat in my sewing cupboard for many months.

2009 Calendar Quilt

2 new blogs!

2011-06-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have been busy in the blogging world!

drops by me..shared on my new photo blog adventure with Tracie!

Last week, I started a new photo adventure with Tracie, a wonderful woman that I met through flickr. Our blog is called Californian Bohemian & Canadian Gypsy. It is still very new, but I love it already!

I also started an online book club! The idea has been swimming around my head and several other moms I know. I decided to go for it! Come and visit, it's my brand new baby: Moms' Commonplace Book Club.

Good thing we started our Summer Break this week!

52 books :: Update!

2011-06-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted about the books I have read since Book 9 (Mockinjay). I have been reading, not as much as I would like, but still reading regularly.

Here is a list of the books I read since Mockinjay:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - I enjoyed this classic very much. I wanted to read it before I saw this movie version, but it wasn't available in my region to see at the theatres..I will wait for DVD!

Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry - I read this one aloud to my kids. This is the fourth book in the series that started as a trilogy. We enjoyed this one just as much as the other ones!

The Giver by Lois Lowry - this one was a quick read, interesting but didn't feel like it was long enough.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I enjoyed this book once I got confortable with the dialect! It was a great story. I read this one because the movie will be released later this summer. I am looking forward to it and hope they kept close to the book.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - I really didn't enjoy this one. I read it because the title kept coming up in lists and conversations. I finished it to see if it would get better, but no, I didn't even like the ending.

I am also reading a Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola but I am not trying to finish it in just one week. I am taking my time with this one, digesting little bits at a time!

Come into my garden ~ Happy Summer Solstice!

2011-06-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

Week 2 :: 12 Week Spring

2011-06-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Week 2! Lots of walking this week and healthy eating! But not much of anything else. PMS really sucks my energy, it never used to bother me much, but I have found the last six months or so, it does. I like to stay positive, so enough about that whinning and let me focus on what I did do!!

We started the week by walking down to the beach and park. It's a 6.6 km round trip. I was going to bike with my kids, but my bike wasn't cooperating (tires have a small hole in them I think), so I walked instead. Adrienne, my oldest, walked with me and my 2 youngest rode their bikes.

I also walked Orion every morning (only missed Saturday morning), and some days in the evening as well. I spent time gardening this week too. We had beautiful weather!

I tried a couple of new recipes this week and really enjoyed them! First, I made a Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic soup from the Clean Start cookbook by Terry Walters. That soup is very very yummy! I added a tiny bit of grated gooda cheese on top, but really it was delicious without.

Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup

From the same cookbook, I made the Raw Kale Confetti Salad. I adjusted the recipe a lot because I didn't have all the ingredients, but followed her method of "massaging" the olive oil into the kale and letting it sit for 15 minutes. My salad had kale, olive oil, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocado, and a few raw sunflower seeds. I did add the sea salt and some ginger powder. Next time I will use fresh ginger to get more of that taste. I will also use the lime and lemon juice. Still, even with all my alterations, it was really delicious. I have only used kale in juicing before, I love the taste but wasn't sure about the texture.

Raw Kale Salad

I have often wished in the past to cook my own food because I would prefer to eat more healthy and vegetarian meals that my husband would like. This week, he was really craving meat so I chose to make my own dinner every time he had meat! One particular dinner, I had falafels. I don't always have pitas on hand, so I eat them just like this, with cut up tomatoes and cucumbers on the side, and a big spoonfull of plain yogurt.

One last photo of food from this week. We brought a big container of fresh fruit to the beach. I love this time of year with its abundance of delicious fresh fruits!

Week 1 :: 12-week sprint

2011-06-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

The first week of the 12-week sprint to the finish is done!
There was a few changes this week. First I have decided to not run for a little while. I have found that when I run now, I quickly get light headed and feel really weak. I will be get checked out soon with my doctor, but I also want to stop because I am not enjoying it. I only have a short amount of time to dedicate to fitness and I want to have fun with it! Running hasn't been fun for many months now, more of a check mark on my list of things to do.

This week I completed two workouts on the wii Zumba game. Now, that is fun and challenging!

I also used the Nike Training Club app. I really like this app. You can select your workouts and watch the videos to make sure you are doing the exercices correctly. I completed a total of 75mn. My girls are also doing these with me, which makes it more fun.

Can you tell that fun is an important word for me when it comes to exercising ?

I also walked with Orion, first thing in the morning, every day besides two days. This felt great and he really enjoyed it too. It's amazing how fast dogs think something is routine. After only a couple of days, he followed me around as soon as I got up in the morning!

With my food, I logged 3 days. I keep forgetting to do this, but on the days that I do, it really helps with keeping me focused. I didn't eat a lot of processed food at the beginning of the week. On Friday and the weekend, we did eat out three times. I had to drive around right at meal times and we attended a funeral (with a lunch after it).

This coming week shouldn't be as busy and I am looking forward to my exercices and trying to log my food for longer than 3 days.

Photo of the week... On Wednesday morning at our homeschool park day, I enjoyed my time cuddling this little one for the second week in a row! (Don't mind my hair, it was super windy that day!).

12 Week Sprint to the Finish

2011-06-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

Button from Kris, Eclipsed

On my homeschool blog, I take part in a weekly wrap-up hosted by Kris of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. In her posts, she often mentions her running and weight loss goals. She has done wonderful and I didn't notice until just recently that she also has a seperate blog for her fitness goals called Eclipsed. Last week, she started a 12 week challenge called "12 Week Sprint to the Finish".

I have decided to join her. The challenge is simple: " You set the goal and share it, and we’ll hold you accountable". I personally think a focus like this will help me with some of my 39 goals, especially my running and nutritional goals.

In my 39 goals post, I listed a few related to nutrition:

- give up sugar
- give up white foods
- continue drinking lots of water
- continue to cook new recipes

And a few fitness-related ones:

- Implement a workout routine with light weights and strength exercices
- Continue running and work up to a half marathon
- Include hill work in my running training
- Start biking more
- Walk Orion more often

Since writing those goals, I have only followed two of these! I started walking with Orion every morning. The fresh air first thing in the morning has been wonderful and I will continue doing this. I have done well with drinking lots of water.

The rest, I have done nothing about. Well for the fitness and nutrition ones. I did accomplish some of the other ones, or start at least!

Since finishing my couch to 10k program almost two weeks ago, I have only done 1 running workout! I just haven't had any motivation. I am hoping this challenge will help me focus again.

I will be doing a weekly update here on my blog and let you know how the week went with these goals. I don't have a weight-loss goal. I have about 10-15 lbs that I would like to loose, but I am more interested in being fit and feeling good than a particular number on a scale.

To help me with my goals, I mostly use my iTouch for keeping track of my running, along with my dailymile log online. I love using simple apps! I have an app for my half marathon training and will try out the Nike Training Club app for weights and strength training exercices. For my nutrition goals, I use the MyNetDiary app. I can log in all the food I eat, for meals and snacks, along with how much water I drink. It also keeps track of my exercice if I want to.

Would you like to join me and Kris? Spend the next 12 weeks together focusing on fitness and/or nutrition goals? It's almost summer time, a perfect time to do this, lots of fresh produce, sunshine...What do you say? Let me know in the comments!!

I will "see" you next Sunday for a recap on how my week went. I will share my running log, and hopefully weight training exercices..and maybe even my food log!

ps. I just can't leave a post without a photo..so here is from today. One of my 39 goals is to let my hair grow. I did a first today and splurged on getting my hair coloured at the hairdresser's! She also straightened it for me. It is so silky smooth tonight and it is nice to see how long it truly is already. I think Orion liked it too!

On its way to France..

2011-06-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

A little gift for my mother...for mother's day and her birthday. I hope she will like it. I will find out hopefully in the next few months. Our correspondence is not very regular.
Regardless, she is still my mother and I wanted to make something special for her. This mini log cabin quilt is about 24 inches square. The square in the middle is a little twisted compared to the rest. I don't think she will like that, but I had almost ran out of some of the fabrics and improvised! I can't wait to find out what she writes back about it.

39 Goals

2011-05-19T03:45:00.000-07:00

Every year counts, but as I was nearing 39, I started thinking how I wanted to make this last year before the big 40 special. I want to make it count. This means a few things to me and I decided to make a list. I am not sure if there will be 39 goals, but this list is the start of my goals for my 39th year. I will keep adding as I think of more. I will also update the list or posts updates about it as I cross items off from it.

Give up sugar - I have wanted to do this for a long time. I don't drink pop or much juice, but I do have some homemade desserts and sweetened cereal bars/cookies, etc... I really want to make an effort to only eat naturally occuring sugars (as in fruits, honey, etc..).
Give up white foods - As a family, we eat more whole wheat products (bread, pasta, etc..) but we do sometimes buy the white pasta or rice. I can feel a big difference when I eat those. I want to eliminate these from my diet completely, not go back and forth anymore.
Continue drinking lots of water
Implement a workout routine with light weighs and strenght exercices
Continue running and work up to a half marathon
Include hill work in my running training
Start biking more
Learn a new technique in quilting
Finish sewing and quilting projects (calendar quilt, christmas quilt, Adrienne's wall hanging)
Walk Orion more often (every day?)
Read more!
Read at least 2 classics
Let my hair grow - I enjoyed having short hair, but never felt very feminine with it, so I am letting it grow again. I am adding it as a goal, because I know how difficult it will be for me to get passed certain stages of letting it grow!
Start volunteering somewhere with my oldest child
Learn a new language (Spanish?)
Take more nature photos
Grow more food in our vegetable garden
Grow more flowers, especially flowers I can bring inside, in our garden
Take more photos of my family and friends
Attend a theatre play
Attend a live concert
Sleep under the stars
Continue to cook new recipes
Visit an art gallery
Visit a museum
Continue to save money
Plant a tree
Visit more local conservation areas
Spend more time at the lake or near water (very relaxing to me)

Quilting and a Birthday!

2011-05-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a bit of quilting these last few weeks...These were for thank you gifts, a little snack mat and coasters. One set went to California, the other to Massachusetts.

More projects I have been working on, a gift for my mother, a baby gift and helping a friend with her project.

This was on the previous picture, now it is finished! I helped a friend get started in quilting and she asked me to finish this big one for her. It is a gift for her father. She designed the quilt, chose the fabrics and we worked on it together. I did the back (see next photo) for her and the quilting and binding.

The back of the quilt in the previous photo.

A small quilt I will be sending to my mother as a birthday gift. See the odd block in there?

I celebrated my birthday last week...39!

Banana Popsicles...and Mother's Day

2011-05-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Mmmm... Banana popsicles taste like summer. I had my first one this year on Saturday after we spent the afternoon at the Science festival. It was fun, but not as much fun as last year, still we were glad we went.

I have come to the realization that I don't really like holidays. Not vacations, but the holidays like Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, etc... I never bought into the commercial aspect of these "special" days. I also think that every day should be special. Every day we should make a point of being kind to each other. It doesn't have to include physical gifts. The best presents are not things in my opinion.

For example, I didn't get presents yesterday for Mother's Day, but at the end of the day, my husband worked hard on our computer and succeeded at retrieving all the files, documents and photos that we had lost a couple of days ago. I was so relieved and told him that this was the best gift he could give me at this time!

my sweet

2011-05-05T18:40:00.001-07:00

Out for a walk with the family,

Celeste and I were playing with the iTouch:

listening to music,

tracking how far we walked,

and of course taking pics with the Hipstamatic app.

We are both happy.

It's Spring!

And we are both getting excited

for our birthdays,

we're both May babies!

Sneak Peek...and Homemade Trail Mix

2011-05-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

I am back! After taking this week off, I feel refreshed and ready to start posting again! It's nice to step away from blogging for a short break once in a while. Blogging should be enjoyable, like writing a journal, in my opinion.

I have been making some thank you gifts this week. I can only show you a sneak peek, but as soon as the gifts have been received, I will share the rest! I love making small quilted gifts. It brightens my day!

I also wanted to share my trail mix with you. We have made trail mix for ourselves for years, some of the ingredients change over time... Right now, my kids and I love eating this particular one! I mix the following together:

- pretzels
- salted peanuts
- raw pumpkin seeds
- raw sunflower seeds
- dark chocolate m&ms
- chocolate covered sunflower seeds

and that's it! Very yummy, mixture of salty and sweet!

Screen Free Week....The Results & A Break from Blogging

2011-04-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

I failed. I would love to blame it on the weather...it did rain a lot this week, but the truth is, I failed, plain and simple. I came to realize a few things in my failure. I could do without television completely, even movies, but I can't live without the internet. For me, the internet is:

a way to connect with friends who live close or far from me
somewhere to meet like-minded people
somewhere to find inspiration (photography, quilting, running)
somewhere to find support for homeschooling
a place where I can find free and helpful resources for our homeschool
a virtual cookbook filled with unlimited recipes
a place to log my running (I use dailymile)

I just can't give that up. I don't sit at the computer for hours and hours, I am more of a grazer. I spend a few minutes, walk away, take care of other things, then come back. I do spend longer periods of time in the evening, especially if my husband is working late.

Now I know that my time online isn't something I can do without! I can limit it and also make sure that it serves a purpose for me (like the ones mentioned above).

~ Earth Day 2011 ~

I have decided to take a break from blogging as a result of this past week. If you read my regular homeschool blog, this won't be a surprise. I have always told myself that when blogging becomes something I have to do, then it's time for me to take a break. I have come to that point, especially on my main blog, where I make a point of blogging at least twice a week. I also want to make sure I am able to enjoy my children and the spring weather that is finally arriving! I will be back soon and I will still be online, so you can contact me via e-mail or facebook.

See you soon!

Screen Free Week Starts Tomorrow!

2011-04-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

Wish me luck! I might really need it! I will let you know how it went in 8 days. For now, I will leave you with a self portrait. I haven't done one of these in a while. I wanted to play around with picnik today and decided to take a quick portrait of myself. I was surprised how much fun I had and realized that I actually missed the weekly self-portrait challenge I did last year.

I posted these on my flickr and asked for people to let me know which one was their favourite. So far the first one in the series is the winner. Let me know which one you like!

I wish you all a great week :)

Pillow ~ Pretty in Pink & Purple

2011-04-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Pretty in Pink & Purple ~ Celeste's Quilt

2011-04-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

I finished Celeste's birthday quilt a few days ago.

I can't believe I am finished already!

I was so happy with the quilting, doing the loopy quilting was so fast and fun.

I am planning a pillow to go with this quilt. More to come soon!

Day 10 :: 100 day photo challenge

2011-04-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Day 10 -A picture of your favorite sport or favorite athlete.

I love running.
I love how I feel afterwards.
I love how running makes me push myself all the time.
I run mostly on a treadmill at home right now, but I still love it.
I am hoping to enter some more 5k or 10k races this year.
I realized while looking for photos that I haven't done any in a while!

~ July 2008 ~

~ June 2009 ~

Days 7, 8, 9 :: 100 day photo challenge

2011-04-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

Day 07 -A picture of you and someone you'd be lost without .

Day 08 -A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 -A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

These three days all have the same person. My husband. The day 7 is a little hard for me, I am a very independent person, but I have to admit that I would be lost in my heart without him. I would be able to function, but not happily. He makes me laugh, daily. And he has gotten me through a lot.

August 2010 ~ Mitchell's Bay, Ontario.

Screen Free Week is Coming!

2011-04-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

If you follow my homeschool blog Canadian Home Learning, this will seem like a repeat, but I hope you will read on still!

My family and I have made the commitment to participate in Screen-Free Week from Monday, April 18 to Sunday, April 24. That means no TV, no video games, no computers, ipod touch, etc...

I am really excited about this and we have participated in this challenge (used to be called "TV Free Week") in the past. I know my kids will do really well, but I am not so sure how I will do!
I rely on the computer a lot! I visit my blogs daily, write posts a few times a week (especially on our homeschool blog). I visit Facebook several times a day, I am on Twitter, and I also visit a couple of homeschool boards. I am always reading about homeschool related stuff, googling, etc.. I also use the internet for inspiration for my quilting and photography.

The internet and I have a close relationship. Quitting it for a week is do-able, but it might not be enjoyable.

So to survive, I am planning a list of activities to do with my children, but also for myself. Projects I have left unfinished, books I haven't had the time to read, and things like that. I will continue my running program too, so I will have to use the iTouch for that purpose, but it's not for entertainment.

My husband is also on board for this challenge. He is a gamer. This might be difficult on him too! We also enjoy watching episodes of Lost or other DVDs we have once the kids are in bed. I think we will survive for one week.

I am looking forward to a break from the computer and internet, really I am! I will let you know how it went for me on April 25th!

♪ ♫ Happy 2nd Birthday Orion ♪♫

2011-04-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

I guess I have become one of those people that celebrate their pet's birthday!! Orion is our Siberian Husky and our fourth baby. He is big in size and has a big heart. We have never had a sweeter, calmer dog before!

Happy Birthday Orion ♪♫

We love you!

Puppy:

Now:

Going Loopy ~ Celeste's Quilt

2011-04-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to an awesome quilty friend, I decided to try loops for quilting Celeste's quilt. Usually, this part is my least favourite in the quilting process. But not now! I love doing these free-motion loops!! They were so much fun and quick too. I have now finished all the quilting and just need to put on the binding. Two days of quilting is all it took. I love it...and so does Clara (seen here on the back of the quilt).

Day 5 :: 100 day photo challenge :: best memories with...

2011-04-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Day 5: A picture of you and the person you've had the best memories with. My husband. That top photo is when he proposed to me, in September 1994 and the bottom one is from only a couple of months ago. The middle one is from 2001, I think.

Day 4 :: 100 photo challenge :: missed memory

2011-03-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Day 04 -A picture of favorite missed memory. I miss baby/toddler times, especially with Celeste.

Pretty in Pink and Purple ~ Celeste's Quilt

2011-03-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Day 3 :: 100 day photo challenge :: favourite cast

2011-03-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Day 03 -A picture of the cast from your favorite tv show... I don't watch tv much, we don't have cable or satelite. We didn't even bother to set up the "antenna" channels, whatever those are!

We do watch movies and sometimes my husband and I watch tv series on dvd. We watched Prison Break together and now we are on season 5 of Lost. I enjoy watching Heroes. I am on season three. I would pick that one for my favourite cast, as twisted as some of the characters are!

I touched the machine!!

2011-03-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

The sewing machine that is! I haven't done any sewing in almost two months. I decided to clean up my sewing cabinet yesterday, inspired by this post. It felt so good to organize and discard fabric that I know I won't use. I also took some time to assess the quilts-in-progess and decided to finish Celeste's quilt for her birthday this year. I worked on it last night and this morning. The top is almost finished, just need to add another border all around. Celeste is super excited! She loves the flowers and colours of this quilt.
Andre helped me by taking a few photos, so here is the progress so far:

It feels good to be sewing again and we still managed to do our school work!

Day 2 :: 100 day photo challenge

2011-03-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

"A picture of you and a friend you have been close with for awhile" is the second day challenge. This was a bit difficult to choose. I have a few friends that have been around for "awhile". I finally decided to choose my cousin. We have known each other since our early teens and through the years and distance have stayed close. We both are married with three children each now and we love getting together with all our kids, especially going for hikes!

Day 1 :: 100 Day Photo Challenge

2011-03-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be more consistent with my posting on this blog, I decided to join Starfish & Coffee in her 100 day photo challenge. The challenge has been going around Facebook she told me, but like her, I thought it would be great for blogging. I don't think I will be posting every single day for 100 days, but I will go through the list in order and hope to not take too much longer than 100 days!

I also wanted to thank all of you that left kind comments on my last post. My back is finally better and I am slowly getting back on my treadmill. Spring is also arriving, slowly, and that is helping!

The first day of this challenge is to post a photo of myself with a list of 15 facts. I am assuming those facts have to be about me...

1. I am short (not quite 5 ft 3).

2. I moved away from home, to a different continent and across an ocean, when I was 18.

3. I have a tattoo of a dolphin (got it when I was 21). I would love to get another one.

4. I have a college diploma in Travel and Tourism with honours.

5. I love learning with my children. We have homeschooled for five years.

6. I can't sing, but that doesn't stop me from singing.

7. I love being outside, surrounded by nature, with a camera in my hand and my family near me.

8. I try to live a life without regrets. So far, it's been very good!

9. I traveled a lot as a child, and hope to be able to continue traveling all my life.

10. My favourite country, after Canada, is Austria.

11. I am a water drinker, I choose that over coffee, tea, juice, pop (yuck!), or any alcoholic drink.

12. I hope to be able to run a half-marathon (or a full) in 2012.

13. I will turn 40 in 2012.

14. In April, my husband and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.

15. I love books.

living positively? not all the time...

2011-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

I have been pretty quiet on this blog and on my flickr, especially for my living positively challenge. I make a point of not being negative on my blogs but sometimes I just need to be honest.

The winter is dragging on here in Canada and it's getting to me. I have also hurt my lower back about a week ago and have been unable to run. Running is like a drug with me, I am completely addicted to it, so when I can't run, I am miserable! I really hope spring will be here soon and that this pain in my back goes away soon so I can resume my running.

I need to pick up my camera more often and document again the little smiles in every day. That might help me get through those last weeks of winter! How about you? How are you doing? Are you ready for spring?

52 books :: Book 9 :: Mockingjay

2011-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

The last installemnt in the Hunger Games trilogy is Mockinjay. This was another excellent young adult novel. This last book was just as good if not better than the first two! I found myself wanting to read all the time to find out what happens and then when I was about twenty pages from the end, I wanted to slow down so it didn't end!
This Hunger Games was a great trilogy, a great mixture of science fiction, futuristic, survival type of story.

52 books :: Book 8 :: Catching Fire

2011-02-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. This is a young adult science fiction novel. I finished that one fast...I honestly can't say which one I liked the best, the first book or this second one! Great story, great pace, same awesome characters all made a very enjoyable read. My older daughter is also reading this series, she is just starting this title. It's been fun talking about the story!

"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Suzanne Collins continues the amazing story of Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire, the second novel of the phenomenal Hunger Games trilogy." from the scholastic website.

12!

2011-02-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

It's my boy's 12th birthday today! I have some better/cuter photos of him from today, but this represents the two of them much better! Happy Birthday Andre!!

52 books :: Book 7 :: The Homeschool Liberation League

2011-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

The Homeschool Liberation League by Lucy Frank is the story of Katya, a grade 8 girl, who decided that she wants to be homeschooled after she spends a life changing summer at Wilderness Camp. The story takes us from the first day of school in September when she decides that it isn't for her to the winter concert. In those few months, life is filled with discovery for her.

I was really looking forward to this book. I thought that it was so nice to have a fictional novel about homeschooling, written for young people. I hate to say that I was disapointed and really pushed myself to finish the novel. I enjoy reading juvenile fiction, so it wasn't that it was too "young" for me. I guess I was expecting more about homeschooling. The parts I did enjoy reading where when Katya was discovering her passion for science, especially plants and more hands-on science. I also appreciated the message that the author was trying to pass on, that there are many learning possibilities available today.

cowboy boots ~ 46:365 of living positively

2011-02-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

We spent most of today away from home.

A nice change after being stuck at home most of last week!

Our dog was getting pampered (for free!) and while we waited for him to get done,

we decided to go kill some time at the local thrift store.

My girls love shoes, we didn't come home with any, but we had fun and

that's all that matters.

46:365 of living positively.

XOXO

2011-02-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Another Week of Living Positively

2011-02-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind in sharing my photos here for the living positively challenge. The first photo in this set is from February 8, the last one from the 1st. I am finding it difficult lately to remember to grab the camera and also to see the positive everyday. My attitude hasn't been the best and I am very ready for spring to arrive!

52 books :: Book 6 :: Expressive Photography

2011-02-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

I finished reading this book last month and completely forgot to post about it!

Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters' Guide to Shooting from the Heart is on my wish-to-buy list. It is a wonderful book about photography, filled with inspiring photographs and even though it isn't a true how-to, I walked away with many "shoot it!" assignments to try out later. I really appreciated the explanations on how certain photographs were taken.

The Shutter Sisters site is also a wonderful place to look at inspiring pictures. You can visit it here.

52 books :: Book 5 :: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

2011-02-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is Jacqueline Kelly's debut novel. I have to be honest, I was first attracted to this book because of the cover. Isn't it beautiful? The yellow and the black, I love!
Anyway, after finding out what the story was about, I decided to give it a try.

It is the story of Calpurnia, a young girl living with her family in the South in 1899. She discovers nature and science with the help of her grandfather and through that experience discovers herself. Being a girl during that time period means that she is expected to have a certain future, and that might not be the one she is hoping for.

I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend for any young girl (probably 10 and up) that enjoys nature and a bit of history.

A Week of Living Positively

2011-02-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Rainbow ~ 25:365

2011-01-26T10:17:00.001-08:00

A few more positive days..in pictures

2011-01-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

La lune ~ 21:365

2011-01-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

I love the moon and try to capture it whenever I can with my camera.

First photo is straight out of the camera, second one is just cropped a bit.

52 books :: Book 4 :: The Hunger Games

2011-01-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

The Hunger Games has been on my to-read list for a little while. I finally decided to request the first in the trilogy from the library. I started this book and right away got emerged in the story of this young girl that volunteers herself in the place of her younger sister to go to the hunger games. The games are a sort of punishment, a yearly reminder to the nation to not go against the Capitol. They are televised and the participants compete against each other to the death in a man-made arena. The arena is more like its own little world, filled with different landscapes, animals, etc.. I enjoy stories of survival and set in a natural environment. The descriptions of the different settings, the clothing, the various foods and especially the feelings that Katniss goes through made this book a page-turner for me. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

I found an interesting interview of the author about where she found her idea for this trilogy:

There is some talk about this book coming out as a movie by Lionsgate..I hope to be able to read the other two books before that happens!

Books read 4:52

snow and a volcano ~ living positively in 2011

2011-01-18T17:46:00.000-08:00

We went for a walk on Sunday at a local conservation area,

a beautiful small forest

with a little river and many boardwalks.

I love being in nature with my family and our husky!

16:365

At the end of our walk in the forest,

with our rosy cheeks,

filled with fresh air and fun.

17:365

This volcano was drawn by my oldest daughter

for her illustrated dictionary

in her world geography notebook.

We have so many good laughs

when we do geography together,

not sure why..just happens!

18:365

looking back ~ 15:365

2011-01-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in the winter, I like to look at photos of the beach...wish I could be there, in the warm sunshine, toes in the sand, looking at the ocean.

I think it's positive, not negative, to wish like that. Because it means that I have had the chance to know other places and to have beautiful memories too.

Florida '09

Living positively 15:365

snow boys, sleep, sunny ~ living positively

2011-01-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

Winter time isn't a very exciting time around here, but I still manage to see the positive every day... like watching my son playing in the swirling, windy, freezing snow with his friend...and also watching my new kitten sleep soundly and wishing I could take a nap...and finally the sun! coming back from taking our husky to the dog park for some fun.

a little walk and alone time ~ postively 2011

2011-01-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

On day 9 of living positively, we went for a little walk near our house.

There isn't a lot of snow left right now.

Even if the walk was short, even if this time,

my dog was pulling like he had a sled behind him,

even if my teenager was cranky..

I still love the walk, the fresh air, and being together.

On day 10, which was Monday, Adrienne had her Cadets meeting

and that means almost three hours to myself.

The meeting is about 25 minute drive away from home, so I just stay near.

I do enjoy this time alone, and either sit at the library to read or visit the thrift store.

52 books :: Shiver

2011-01-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is one of those books that I noticed whenever I was at the library or at a bookstore in the young adult section. I was curious and so decided to give it a try. It is another werewolf and girl love story, without vampires this time. It seemed to start really slowly and I had to tell myself a few times to just keep on going. By the second half of the book, I was curious to see how it would end. I really enjoyed the writing and especially the way the author describes the surroundings and the emotions in her book.

From the author's website:
"For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever."

I enjoyed watching this little book trailer the author created out of cut paper:

Books read: 3/52

One Word Project ~ Moment

2011-01-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

I am participating this year in the One Word Project organized by the Shutter Sisters.

What is it? It's a monthly community project where we offer up a unique word (every month gets a new word) that's up for visual interpretation of the photographic kind by YOU. (from the Shutter Sisters post).

For January, the word is actually our word. We get to choose the word and we can choose to focus on that word as our word for 2011. I thought about it for a while and decided to choose "moment" because I want to remember this year to live in the moment, especially to appreciate the moment I am in.

Here is my photo for the OWP for my word "moment":

Positively 2011 ~ days 7 and 8

2011-01-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

family and games ~ 7:365

my in laws came for a 2-day visit (they live four hours away)

we spent our time catching up, playing games together, eating, and relaxing

Celeste had a great time with her Papa playing Connect 4.

cats ~ 8:365

while I was putting away all the holiday decorations,

our cats were playing under the tree.

The light colour one came to us on Christmas Day

and she has adjusted very well.

living with pets always brings a smile to our faces.

we have 2 guinea pigs, 2 cats and 1 dog ;)

soft in the snow ~ positively 2011

2011-01-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

I love going for walks with my Orion, just him and me. I also love the way the back of his ears feel, so soft. He loves snow.

We were both happy.

6:365 living positively

fruits! ~ positively 2011

2011-01-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

In the cold Canadian winters, fresh fruits are something to be positive about!

We like to eat them fresh or juice them. Today we made a juice with these three fruits (apples, pears, and grapes), a small piece of ginger root, and a sprinkle of cinnamon..very yummy!

5:365 living positively

~ world geography and library time ~ positively 2011

2011-01-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Positively 2011 is a daily photography challenge but I might put a few days worth at a time to share with you here.

Here are day three and four out of three-hundred and sixty-five:

Learning together with my children is always a positive experience. We were studying Eastern Europe on day three.

on day four we walked to the library.

in the photo, my youngest is selecting some books, she loves baby books still!

we visit our local library at least once a week, usually more. this branch is small, but very close to our house. we know all the librarians and they know us! we always walk out with piles of books! we love to read :)

it's always a positive experience to visit the library!

52 books :: A Child Called It & A Brother's Journey

2011-01-05T04:59:00.000-08:00

I started my challenge this year with two books about child abuse. They were both very difficult to read for me, but at the same time I have to say that being able to relate to their stories in some ways kept me reading. I wanted to know how they got out of their situations.
The books were "A Child Called IT" by Dave Pelzer and "A Brother's Journey" by his brother, Richard Pelzer. Both stories are true stories of childhood abuse. Their mother was an alcoholic and put them through horrible situations.
I do think these books are important because the world needs to know what sometimes happens behind closed doors, we all need be aware. When I was growing up and was a victim myself, I never knew that it was wrong. I thought I was just a bad kid and that this was the normal way for parents to deal with me. In public or on the rare occasions that friends came to our appartment, everything was "normal", in other words there was a completely different attitude shown to outsiders. Some people to this day, would never believe me if I shared my story I am sure. I found out how wrong my childhood experiences were once I moved an ocean away from my parents. By then, I was an adult and just wanted to start my own life, move on. I took care of myself, went to therapy, and also read a lot about how to break the cycle. I did not want to repeat history. And I haven't. My children, when they are grown, will hear my story if they wish, but for now, I am just so happy that they are able to live in a safe, loving environment.
Anyway, both books are autobiographies and are filled with detailed descriptions of the torture they endured. It turned my stomach at some points. I just wanted to warn you, in case you want to read these books. If you are a victim yourself, the one book that really helped me (even more than therapy) was called The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass.

Read: 2/52
Next book: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

~ caramel sundae on sunday ~ positively 2011

2011-01-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

we don't often go out to dinner, maybe once every six months..so when we do, my whole family really enjoys it. we tried a rotisserie and ribs place on sunday evening. my son was moaning while he ate his ribs! he loved his caramel sundae too.

2::365 - living positively

Positively 2011

2011-01-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

I am giving myself a photography challenge this year, a challenge to seeing the positive in each and every day of 2011. I joined a group called "a year of living positively" on flickr. Here is the description:

"sometimes we get bogged down

in the day-to-day trappings of a stressful existence.
this group is an atttempt,
and experiment, if you will,
to remind us all that if we look closely enough
we can find something we are grateful for each and every day. :)
photo submissions should include a brief description about something you are grateful for, or something you appreciate on that particular day!"

Today's photo shows what was especially positive for me, which was spending time reading in my favourite chair with a cozy blanket, looking through the pile of sewing/quilting related books from the library and reading two difficult books (a child called it + a brother's journey).

52 fridays and BAM ~ week 52

2010-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to 2011 ~ Out for a walk with my Orion ~ Taken by Adrienne with our new toy (we share) an ipod touch + hipstamatic app.

~ Teenage Tote ~

2010-12-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

My oldest asked me to make her a tote bag, just like her little sister's .

She chose the fabrics, she didn't want the patchwork look so only picked two fabrics at first.

We decided to add the busy fun fabric on one side of the tote,

and on the other side used the pink shoe fabric strip.

I quilted the bag using simple diagonal lines.

She loves it!

What a Christmas!!

2010-12-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! My husband was off for Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well for the first time in years! We didn't make any special dinner for ourselves, but had a big family pot luck dinner on Boxing Day, so everyone still had turkey and ham and everything else..

We usually don't exchange a lot of presents at Christmas time. I try to make gifts most years, and this year I made felt food for Celeste. She was very pleased with it! She loves the donut! Each child got one present from my husband and myself (Adrienne: headphones, Andre: small Prince of Persia lego set, Celeste: Little Mommy doll), then there were 3 other presents for all 3 of them together.

The big difference this year was the amount of presents that I received...my husband spoiled me this year. Usually we exchanged a small something between the two of us. We don't have a big budget and rather use it for the kids. But this year, we have cleaned up our finances in a huge way and he went out and picked up many things that I needed for a long time! I now have new cutting boards and oven mitts for the kitchen, along with a dutch oven pot. I have new shirts, wool mittens, and a coat! The kids also gave me slippers and a webkinz hamster (I play to get them coins, and it's fun!).

Here I am with my new coat, on Christmas morning. The photo isn't the greatest, but the coat is so comfortable!!

The biggest surprise was that Santa made a very special appearance at our house Christmas morning. My husband set this up without me knowing! I knew we were adopting a kitten from the local humane society, but didn't know about the special delivery! Around 9:30, there was a knock at our door, we were still opening presents! We thought it was our friends next door. Only my husband knew what was happening!

Our new kitten is adorable, she is very well tempered and just wants to play then sleep, then play some more! Orion and Clara (Adrienne's cat) have adjusted very well, very fast. We have decided to call her Sophie Nausicaa. We love Studio Ghibli films and couldn't decide between the two names, so this lucky cat has 2 names now! Sophie is one of the main characters in Howl's Moving Castle, and Nausicaa is the name of the princess in the movie Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well! We are enjoying a few more days of holidays before the new year. Happy Holidays!

52 fridays and BAM ~ week 51

2010-12-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve!! My youngest daughter woke up so excited this morning, she thought it was time to open her presents! The holidays are so much fun with children around. Hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness as well!

Challenges for 2011

2010-12-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

I know...Christmas hasn't passed yet and I am looking at 2011. We finished our little shopping a couple of weeks ago and have been relaxing at home, enjoying some time off our regular homeschool activities, so I have had time on my hands!

I like taking on new challenges each year. I don't really see them as goals, but more as challenges that I take on.

I am planning on continuing with the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. Over the next few days, I will try to come up with a rough list of books for my to-read-list.

I haven't decided if I will continue with the weekly self portrait challenge. I enjoyed the challenge and it did help with making me comfortable with the idea of being in front of the camera instead of always behind it! But, I am getting a little bored with the task. Maybe I will take on a "couples self portrait" or some other variations...there are many on flickr.

I do want to include more photography challenges this coming year. I will follow the Pioneer Woman's photo assignments and try them out. Shutter Sisters is always an inspiring site as well...They have a monthly One Word Project that I am insterested in. I will keep looking for other ideas and announce which ones I am participating in the first week of the new year.

Another item on my list is to work a little more on this blog. I am not sure how much I will change it, but I haven't spent much time over the last year so it's due! I will work on the design and set up but also I would like to write more. I tend to share a lot of photos, but not much about myself. I don't know if I will be comfortable doing that, but it's a challenge I want to take on.

Finally, I do have some sewing-quilting related challenges. Now that I discovered a bit more about my machine, I will be teaching myself free-motion quilting. I also would like to try to make my own clothes. I don't enjoy shopping where we live. We don't visit the mall much, and I rarely find clothes that I really like there, so I have been thinking that maybe I should just make my own. I am not sure how that will go, but I want to try at least!

So, what are your goals or challenges for the new year?

*the rabbit photo was taken this morning in our backyard. this rabbit visits our backyard often, and I finally was able to capture him on film! *

I am so happy and ...

2010-12-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

I feel so stupid at the same time!

Look at what my machine can do:

I have been complaining that my machine won't do anything but straight lines, that I couldn't do free motion quilting...

Well, today I sat down with my machine's manual (I have had this machine for 5 years) and read all about the optional accessories available.

I figured out that the embroidery foot and the walking foot were available as extras. I even called the parts department to make sure they were for sale still.

Then, I actually found the embroidery foot in my set! I tried it right away, following the directions in the manual - which taught me how to lower the dogs (something I thought my machine couldn't do!)..and voila! free motion quilting!!!

I will now need to practice and learn more about free motion quilting. I am so excited and upset with myself at the same time for not figuring this out earlier!!

Ready for Christmas

2010-12-22T05:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to You!

Enjoy the holidays and see you next week!

two finished tote bags!

2010-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

One for Celeste and one for me!

I couldn't find red polka dot fabric,

but I think the green looks great with Snoopy.

a tote bag just for me!

2010-12-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

This time, this one is just for me!! I went through my scraps and favourite fabrics and pulled out a bunch:

The next step was deciding which ones to actually use. I knew there would be a lot of blue, green, and maybe red or yellow, or both! I needed to pay attention to sizing as well, but if I really wanted a particular piece in there, then I would just make it work. I wanted this bag to be fun, colourful, and a little representative of me, as much as my selection of fabrics would let me!

This was the selection I made. There are a lot of nature-inspired pieces, like sky, waves, leaves, flowers, trees, and also animals. You can see baby turtles racing on the beach, little grey mice, and little chicks. One block says "a passion for patchwork" another shows a line of laundry (got to keep it real!), and I love maps, so there is a map block. Snoopy of course had to be in this and a block or red polka dots. I love selecting fabrics when I do a project, and this time I had a lot of fun since it was for me.

I decided at that point to cut my pieces 5 inches by 2.5 inches. I kept the original size of the bag from Camp Follower's tutorial.

The next step was to iron, cut, sew, iron, assemble, iron, etc...lots of ironing little pieces of fabric goes into the making of this tote bag!

I started this bag late afternoon yesterday, after taking a break for cooking and eating dinner (still had to feed my family!), and by about 9 pm, I had the bag up to this point:

I still don't have a fabric that I like for the handles for the Snoopy bag or this one, so I will have to wait until I visit the fabric shop to finish both.

I did add the binding at the top and a button to keep the bag closed. I love wood buttons, don't you?

i have fallen in love with this christmas time song

2010-12-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

another wip and 52 books challenge wrap-up

2010-12-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed making this tote bag so much, that I searched through my scraps to make another one!

This one is for Celeste and she agreed to share it with me. We both love Snoopy.

It is the same size as the last tote I made.

The next one I make, I will try the full size.

This one still needs the binding at the top of the bag and the straps.

I need to get some fabric for that, probably a tiny red polka dot if I can find some.

About my 52 books project, I seemed to have slowed down lately in sharing my reading, but I did complete the challenge. I have read a few books since the last one I posted. I tried to keep an accurate log on my librarything widget on the right side of this blog. According to it, I have 53 books already in my list. I probably forgot to share some in posts.

You can see the list of the 53 books I read this year here at librarything.

The last couple of books I read were:

Simplify with Camille Roskelley - this is a quilting book that I would love to own. She uses pre-cut jelly rolls, charm packs, fat quarters and more to create beautiful quilts. She has eight quilt projects of different sizes and four pillow patterns. I love how she uses her quilts to decorate her house and all the simplifying quotes shared throughout the book, as well as some of her creative tips. I will be trying a project or two from this book before sending it back to the library. She has a blog that is a pleasure to visit.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond. I really enjoyed reading this one as well, it is just like visiting her website. The library has a long list of people waiting for this book, so it is only staying with me for 14 days. Her web page is worth spending some time at, full of photography tips, great recipes, and she also homeschools! I have been visiting it for a few years. There's always something interesting. The recipes I would like to try can be all be found on the cooking section of her site. This week I made the chocolate sheet cake and my family devoured it! I did too, it was delicious!

The last book I will talk about today is one I read as a read aloud for our science. We are studying physics this year. I found at our library a series of biographies called Giants of Science by Kathleen Krull. We had been coming across Isaac Newton's name a few times over the past couple of weeks while working on experiments and decided to test out this series by reading the one on Isaac Newton. We all enjoyed this biography and will be reading more from the series. My son is very interested in reading the Sigmund Freud one. Kathleen Krull makes science very interesting and we were even laughing out loud, many times! No boring science textbooks in our homeschool!!

I really enjoyed participating in this 52 books 52 weeks challenge this year. I have always loved to read, but life can get in the way sometimes. I always read a lot to my children, and I also read homeschooling books and books related to what we were studying. I never seemed to have a problem finding the time for those. What was missing was me reading just for myself, just for fun or on topics just for me. This year, I really took the time to carve out little blocks of time in my week to fit in reading just for me. It has been very enjoyable.

If you are interested in this challenge, it continues in 2011! You can visit the blog 52 Books in 52 Weeks for more details, and let me know if you sign up..I am!

52 fridays and BAM ~ week 50

2010-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:00