birthday and relaxing

It was fun to have one last family BBQ of the season.The cakes were chocolate, chocolate, chocolate- a request of the Birthday girl.

What a better way to celebrate with cupcakes and relaxing.

yellow bus!

It was 3.99 but we had to have it!

Little Sunny!

view finders

I think I have a thing for view finders.

I think they are a great language building tool.

We visit ours a few times a week and my 2.4 year old gives me updates on elephants (Dumbo), girls dancing (princesses) and whatever other reels I find at the second hand stores.

We usually each have one and pass them back and forth while trying to get just the right light from the window.

Days go by where the TV doesn't even get mentioned in this house. I imagine it would change if there were more feet running around but we are usually too busy for TV-thank goodness for the fresh air and wonderful parks we have.

Who needs TV when you can make up your own stories with view finders.

Did you have one of these as a child?

I am hoping to use my collection to spark creative writing with students I work with. (not the fancy taking one, I'm still looking for sound reels to go with it)

Know any good games or activities?

remember those buttons....

1. Collect buttons.

2. Layer funky colours and shapes.

3. Glue (I love EZ 6000)

4. Share with gal pals!

They came in handy dandy for a quick craft/treat for a few girlfriends.(ring blanks were from ESTY)

broccoli in September?

Take a little broccoli home Aunty Connie......well, if you insist! Let me help you hold that bag while you fill it up. That's it, just a little more....And now I make a run for it! Gold! Green GOLD!OK ,a quick stop to chase the cat.

And back to more delicious broccoli! This is a true story.

Names may have been changed to protect the farmers (or maybe not).

No cats were harmed in the process of making this documentary about broccoli but were offered many half eaten, drool soaked stalks from a loving 2 year old.

It is mid-September. Freezing cold, 2010. We blinked, summer was gone.

We were thrilled with a trip to the farm today and treated to our surprise fresh organic broccoli, a family favorite. More farm to come. We had so much fun.

vintage prints

simple. love these. maybe it was because my Dad treated me to them.

the frames are worn, but the images crisp.

simple beauty.

balance

I am reading this book right now for a behavior class I'm taking.

I love it.

It is how I will strive to live my life.

This book is simple goodness.

It is about being in charge of your own life-the way I was raised and the way I hope to raise my son.
This book talks about deciding what kind of person you want to be and what roads you tend to drive down.

As I struggle to balance my job, my classes and my family I don't want to lose sight of what kind of person I want to be.

One story in the book talks about a lady on a plane. She is assigned the window seat. After plane delays, lost luggage and lousy airport food she is forced to hike up her skirt and step over the man in the seat beside her who refused to get up to let her by. She doesn't get frustrated or snap at him or call him rude. She calmly asks where he is going and he responds a lot further than her and not to expect him to get up.

Turns out, he was recently paralyzed.

new baby

There is a new baby in town!

I took a few snaps and had a great visit!

(hopefully some baby-ness will wear off on on me!)

I love babies. There I said it Tara.

I kept saying to this babies Mom, "Look! Look! Oh, she has the cutest look." I kept forgetting that a baby's Momma gets to see all the looks all the time.
I was seriously giddy getting to play with this cute gal and stayed up way past my bed time looking at her photos.

what I love today

stamp+jars+styz on ink='s cute jars for desk

a great green craft idea

wouldn't they make great anniversary favors or wedding favors

filled with candies or notes or mini photos or buttons or seeds

I have a thing for gummy bears right now, they look so bright in the jars they make my mouth water and I my jars look like the picture above.

What would you fill your jars with?

fire king

my secret obsession.

the colours.

the styles.

the feel.

Fire King

My mug collection is growing and I have a few bowls. I have a vision of a wall of mugs, each with their own story. An inviting wall of fire king mugs that a friend who stops by for tea can choose the mug they are in the mood for.

The blue and green mugs are two of my favorites. I use them daily for tea. The are a heavy cup, a cup with a past, a cup with a story.

The mugs were 2 bucks and the bowl was four.

I would have paid more I like these ones so much.