my sky

The shows of the sunset hour have been absoutely breathtaking this past summer; so much so that I can hardly stand it. So beautiful! I have raced out across the yard to capture their magnificence more than once, but truly, no photograph can do them justice.

{{ this moment }}

^__^

~ inspired by soulemama ~

a quilt in the making

And what is life? A crazy quilt;

Sorrow and joy, and grace and guilt,

With here and there a square of blue

For some old happiness we knew;

And so the hand of time will take

The fragments of our lives and make,

Out of life's remnants, as they fall,

A thing of beauty, after all.

Excerpt from "A Crazy Quilt" by Douglas Malloch

I have been working on this quilt for a friend of mine (-:  It's actually a project that should have been finished years ago, but life (and..er, kids!) sort of got in the way and I tucked it aside ~ like so many creative endeavours...At any rate, I'm nearly done now, and that's a good thing (-: You see, a good friend of mine got married nearly 10 years ago now, and I thought it would be awesome to make her a 'marriage quilt', pieced together from fabric squares belonging to her friends and family. I got busy and wrote a lengthy letter explaining my plan and sent it to everyone on her wedding list, asking them to give me a piece of fabric that had some personal meaning to them, a sense of history, or something that linked it to my friend. I also asked that they include an explanation on a little card or such (-: And so, here I am, sewing away! I can't believe I let this much time go by..ten years! It's crazy, and yet with the presence of these two children of mine in my life, time just seems to blast by with unimaginable speed! I'm sure someone on that wedding list likely spilled the beans about my secret plan to my friend years ago, and there is also a good chance that she'll actually read this post..but I do not care. It feels good to follow through on this personal project and I just hope that she'll like the quilt (-:

My shop is re~opened!!!

Whew! After a crazy summer involving a big move from western USA to eastern Canada with four pets and two kids, lots and lots of change, adjustments, and finally a bit of settling, I am happy to announce that the PipoDoll shop on etsy is now OPEN!! I am happy (-: It's fairly sparse at this point but I will be adding to it bit by bit, so please do stop in for a visit when you get the chance (-:

pipodoll.etsy.com

sneaky peek!

I have been busy~busy lately, and this busy~ness happens to be of the creative variety (-: Soon...VERY soon, I will be adding a bunch of new works to my shop! It's about time, I know, and I am delighted (-:

^__^

another small list

things i liked on this day:

butter tarts
watching Jude play with a cup and a bucket of water
creative plans
the wind
cool shower
oolong tea

^__^

No time!

I thought I might jot down a couple random things I like...fun! (-: Writing a 'real' blog post is a rarity these days, as I customarily type with one hand while cradling Jude with the other. Like I'm doing right now..!

Ok, things I like right now:

Swedish Dala horses
the wind
sewing on paper
African market baskets
local produce
oolong tea
piles of fresh, clean, folded cloth diapers
Isabella's hilarious laughter
neatly made beds
blackbirds

^__^

an awesomely beautiful painting!

Jason created this painting this past week (-: Isn't it beautiful? I am always astounded by what happens when he goes off for a few hours with some brushes and oil paints...such a talent! This is actually a painting of Isabella, about three years old here...It is for sale at Jason's etsy shop, although I secretly hope we can keep it and hang it on our own wall ;-)

this moment

{{ this moment }}

wandering

~ Jude rather loves walking these days, and even took his own first, unsupported steps last week! Mostly though, he pleads with us to hold hands and walk outside, which is his absolute favourite place in the whole world (: He will wander outside for hours, poking at treasures in the grass, tracing with sticks in the dirt, being saucy and pretending to eat rocks because he knows he shouldn't, and of course playing in any little bit of water he can get his hands on ~

snippets of a Canadian summer..

1. my bike, with whom i am happily reunited
2. jason and jude strolling in heber downs conservation area
3. happy bella in the wind
4. grumpy, tired jude ready for his nap after oatmeal-eating
5. on the swing
6. and again!
7. spending time on the grass
8. lake ontario
9. jude enjoying canadian rocks for a change (-;
10. my beautiful children
11. full moon at dusk
12. we love rivers!
13. beautiful grandma-jude with her tea
14. grandma-jude, baby jude and amarook the husky-dog
15. kisses
16. we saw a beaver cutting down a tree! how awesome is that?
17. straw bales behind the house
18. bella and amarook
19. drinking from the wooden goblet
20. jude enjoying his time on top of a bale of hay
21. jude enjoying his time in a farmer's field (:

Boo!

My Mom's cat 'Sumo', decked out with rouge ;-)

More than a month has passed by since last I wrote. Much has taken place; Lots of change and letting go, adjusting, organizing, settling in, growing..We left California over one month ago. We traveled on a plane and magically popped out at the Toronto airport. The air smells different, feels different, sounds different. This is the air I have always known to be of my homeland, this air of Ontario. And yet, it seems that California has wound its delicate threads around my heart, for now I hold a great sadness inside of me for having left.

I will write more soon.