Happy Weekend

lichens

on an old tree stump but seeing them I can't help but quote: "I'm going to the market to get some eucalyptus candles to make my apartment smell mossy."

I don't know what it is about You've Got Mail but it's so quotable. Not that that statement is that profound when written out (okay, not profound at all) but it's the way he says it. So many of those lines just stick in my head and when I quote and the other person doesn't get it, it's hard to explain. But it's the perfect movie for Autumn. Well it has some good Spring stuff too. And Christmas...

It's just a great movie. Oh, and I love the colour in these lichens, too!

pick-me-up

After the somewhat downward nature of the last post I figure a good picture is in order. And yes, the title is fully intended as a pun. Haha.

Stuff

Every once in a while I get overwhelmed by the state of our apartment. Often it gets to the point where we have no horizontal surface that is not covered with an assortment of items. This seems horrific (at least to me) but it's hard to put everything in its place when we don't actually have space for everything. Most of this stuff can't be put away. That seems like an extreme claim but more understandable when you understand that we have to store all of the tools and work miscellany here in the house. Also my little man is at the stage where he loves pulling things out and down but hasn't reached that where I can try to get him to clean up afterwards. The mess often builds much faster than I am able to avert any part of it. It's interesting to see how these piles of stuff can affect my whole outlook on life. Having got myself into a funk over it, it then seeps into how I treat those around me. Not good. My boy had his first meltdown this afternoon and looking at it calmly and rationally afterwards I realize that along with his being under the weather and over-tired from skipping his morning nap, I was not interacting with him as calmly and fairly as I try to normally. I am not about to blame all bad behaviour on myself but I definitely can see how I did more to feed the fire than calm him down. Thankfully James was home, wasn't in the same funk and was able to step in and make it better. It is true that joy doesn't come from our circumstances but I have to remember that it shouldn't be brought down by them either. I also should remember that living with piles of things around me is not the worst of circumstances to survive. I have so much to be thankful for apart from and even within my current circumstances and I will think on these things.

Daddy's kitty

She adores him (of course)

I remember one of the first longer conversations we had over the phone when we were getting to know each other. Almost half of it was taken up with the subject of his cats. True love, I think.

Greenery

James put some cuttings in water above our fridge and I love the extra bit of life it brings to the kitchen.

Leaves

We went on a lovely walk this past weekend from our place to the river and then up by Parliament. Once again, despite being superbly sick it was quite enjoyable.

Speaking of being sick the last weekend, it hasn't gone away and I'm pretty sure by today I have at least a mild case of pneumonia and J has just gone into the clinic for what is either strep or tonsillitis. Our boy has had a tiny cough and I've been watching him closely but so far nothing major. I really hope we don't infect him too severely. Anyway on that note, enjoy the leaves!

Thanksgiving weekend

This weekend the weather couldn't have been better and our health couldn't have been worse. After spending Saturday holed up inside we decided it would be better to get some fresh air and take part in some of the joys of the weekend. Here are a few pictures of the one afternoon spent out of the city. Fun was had by all with cousins playing and a fairly large tree-house being built. The next day we had a lovely large family supper with my relatives. Unfortunately I took no pictures then but the other little ones were also there so it was great to have some younger ones around again. Nice to see how LJ is interacting more and more with other children. Then we celebrated James' birthday yesterday with another perfect day. So over all I am refreshed from the weekend even though I cannot breathe through my nose. The only thing that could have improved it at all would be better health but then perhaps being sick is making me more mindful to be thankful that I haven't been sick in such a long time!

Dress up

James has had two cats for quite a few years. For several years they had been living at his mom's place. This arrangement went well until she relocated (yes, just one of the moves I was involved in) and they came here. It has been interesting having cats in the house. In particular it has been interesting having these cats. I know most cats have personality but I've never met cats with quite this kind of personality. Noon (the one pictured here) will let you dress her up as long as you tell her that she is a pretty girl. In this picture she's wearing her food dish, I feel, with a certain style. The fact she tolerates being dressed up may not be that strange as far as cats go but I believe what sets her apart from the common herd is the fact that her dignity is never called into question no matter how outlandish the outfit. I respect that about her.

Dirt Dirk

Cabbages and things

Dull grey leaves. Nothing fancy.

In the phrase "cabbages and kings" the role of the cabbage is to represent the lowest portion of society (the opposite end of kings on the spectrum). This humble plant gets little fanfare (unless from healthy gourmands). But take this same dull grey leaf and let the light shine through it and it produces such depth of colour.

I have often thought of the many spiritual lessons to be observed through gardening but this is the first time I thought of this facet. The transformation from a nothing to a thing of beauty for this cabbage leaf depends entirely on letting the light shine through it. The light is the transformation.

Utter beauty.

bopping baby beluga boy

I wish I could post this picture as a video but we're working on that. For now you'll just have to picture the cutest little wiggle imaginable often accompanied by some soft humming. Almost any time he hears music now he starts wiggling in time to it. Because I repositioned the coffee table he now has much easier access to our stereo and it took him less than an hour to figure out how to turn it on and pump up the volume. The only way we can stop him from accidentally blasting the music later at night is to change the setting to one with no current input. I wonder how long it'll take him to figure out how to change it back. He will stand with his left hand holding the stand (after it has done it's job of pushing the power button) and his right hand on the volume dial and weave back and forth. The funniest is when his weaving causes him to turn the volume up and down and up and down as he goes back and forth. I can't get over how cute it is and I'm thrilled that he's showing such an interest in music (yay!). It's so awesome to watch (and participate to a certain extent in) how his personality is growing and emerging. Being musical myself I am so happy to see him show an interest but it makes me wonder how I would take it if he had no interest in music. I really don't want to be pushy and force my tastes or expectations but I have a feeling that will be harder not to do than it first seems. I think we're safe on the music front but we can only see how things work out in the future.

It is finished...for now

Since last July I have been more or less continuously packing and moving or helping others pack and move. This weekend, however, saw the last possible opportunities to finish the final of the moves (they now no longer have possession of the old place so there's nothing more that can be done there). Also this Thursday Mom informed me that she was bringing over the last of the boxes from my old room so even that bit of unpacking and sorting is pretty much wrapped up. I'm super excited about all this being done for now (even though there will be a small move I'll be helping with after Christmas) but I keep having a foreboding that it isn't finished yet. It's too good to be true. I think it will sink in fairly soon. I definitely have something extra to celebrate this Thanksgiving. Even though I want out of this apartment I think I can wait a bit before we move. And I've determined that I will get things packed ahead of time so the actual move doesn't drag on forever. It's interesting to see the various ideas and lessons on how (or how not to) move that appeared from the varying circumstances of the different moves. I hope that I have truly learned from them and at least won't make the same mistakes. I know there'll be mistakes that I make too and difficulties but at least hopefully I'll avoid the larger ones. In any case, I am thrilled that it's done with for now!!

Pink

I don't like pink and it isn't really a Fall colour but these flowers caught my attention the other day and I think they're just right for a cold, wet day like today.

Wheelbarrow

Orange

Things have been quite busy around here and I just have the energy to post a picture so here it is:

Just look at those lashes!

Happy feet

Have a relaxing weekend!

biscuits for brunch

It may seem that I have exhausted the topic of our new table but I have one more note to make about it. Since we have had it up I have made more meals from scratch in a row than ever before. I'm sure that it also has something to do with a combination of things, not the least being the wonderful chill fall-like weather we have been enjoying this week. Also it's possible that the influence of feeding my boy well and finally having stocked my kitchen with good basics from which these meals can be made has encouraged me but I would still like to lay the majority of the reason with the table. Not that I have never made meals from scratch and not that I haven't had a table before but I feel as though, all other factors being present, the table (and my excitement surrounding it) has been the deciding factor in our new meal menus. However it has come about no one has complained yet. We'll see how long it lasts.

Colour

One thing I love about kids toys (as much as I think many of them are useless) is the vibrant colours. It doesn't always work and can be (in my humble yet actually officious opinion) quite garish at times but some times the aesthetic just cries out to be admired and--the next logical step--photographed. It happened this weekend while my little one was playing with some of the toys we were helping to move to his cousins' new house.

I just couldn't get enough of these beads and it looks as though he thought they were pretty great too.

Great taste Logi bear!

The table

We now have a dining room table! I never would have guessed I would be this excited about such a seemingly small thing but that's what makes life interesting, I suppose. This place is cramped and the area which would normally be designated as the dining room has been piled with boxes and other things so much that I thought we couldn't fit one so I had resigned myself to a less-formal arrangement for the duration and left my perpetual request for a table fall into the standing-joke category (hahahaha). When out of the blue last Saturday my wonderful husband surprised me with the news that we were in possession of a real table! He seriously could have used this surprise for Christmas or my birthday present, I was that thrilled. The night we got it in, he set it up for me and I spent the rest of the evening re-arranging the boxes in our (actual, now) dining room so we could fit the chairs around this wonderful table. Now from my description you may have some idea that there is something extra-special about this table and I truly feel as though there is but when it comes down to the basic facts, it's one of the plain ikea tables that we rescued from the garbage. Lovely. But let me explain a little and maybe you'll see just why it is just perfect for us. Back when I was still hopeful we could fit one (before fifty-plus more boxes were brought to our place to store) I had my eye on this exact model of table. I liked it because it is solid wood, matches my bookcase, is small enough to fit without being too small to use, has a simple, classic design, and doesn't seem too heavy or awkward. As affordable as ikea is in general I still looked around for ads for used ones and even had an episode where I almost bought one for fifty dollars (I think, maybe even less) but it fell through. But what is even better than buying used? Getting free (and saving landfills, right?). Sure, the last owners tried to paint what looks like a close-up of a peacock feather on the entire top but they didn't do a half-bad job (I can think of a lot of other things that could be worse) and I have a nice collection of tablecloths I had acquired during my RA days that I have been itching to get out. Eventually I think my handyman will probably sand it down and re-finish it but until then I'm actually enjoying having to air my assortment. There isn't a single thing that I would change about that table. Even after all of that you may still be thinking I'm going a bit extreme about it but I am truly beyond ecstatic! Remember I never said I wasn't crazy.

the driver

We were outside all afternoon yesterday and part-way through I tried feeding my boy in the truck but for some reason he thinks driving is more interesting than eating... He is definitely his father's son!

Shoulder check!

Ducks

Just to change things up a little, here is a picture of some ducks we saw a couple weekends ago at the arboretum.

Okay, here's a picture of my handsome men taken that day too. Sorry; I just can't help myself...

picket fences

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. We took a drive out to my Mom's for my eldest brother's birthday dinner. It was a perfect drive: late afternoon, taking our time along back country roads, a few stops along the way, and--best of all--window shopping for houses. We're currently living in a basement apartment close to downtown. Although we are saving a lot in rent and it is convenient for work, eventually we would love to get our own house with a bit of land outside of the city. Even while we were just friends we would discuss what kind of houses we liked so it comes as no surprise but is still pleasant that our tastes agree exactly. I may want the extra field for pasturing a horse or two and he may want it to store and drive cars in but we both still want the land... and I'm sure we'll be able to make things work! We would like to move before our son is too old so rough plan is within the next few years. In the mean time we save and keep window shopping. This apartment is small and dark but the hope of it not being permanent makes its inconveniences much easier to bear. It also helps that on occasion, my husband has to got to work right here. This past week he was replacing our bedroom window-well so we were able to sit in the bedroom most of the day and watch him work. We all know how much little boys love watching big machines. Just imagine how much our little guy loves watching when the machine is driven by his daddy! It has been a great family week.

Cousins' first drive together

Does it get any better?

I came across a glimpse of this amazing product while surfing around the internet this morning and had to know more. I instantly have fallen in love with everything about it. Mast Brothers Chocolate. Chocolate, ships, hand-crafting, amazingly designed packaging, beards, and did I mention chocolate? What's not to love?

Contemplation in blue

Sunlight is good for you

I guess the threat to wash his mouth out with soap won't work yet... Don't worry; I rinsed the container thoroughly before putting it by the door.

I can't help feeling it should be made into some sort of wind instrument. Maybe he'll be a busker.

I take so many pictures and would love to share them all but don't feel that I have the time or my friends have the patience to warrant posting them. It can be so difficult to decide which to share and which to leave in obscurity. So today I am going to indulge myself and post a whole stream of pictures from one afternoon. Enjoy!

"What, no more?"