This summer has been the busiest in recent history. With trips, multiple weddings and a desperate need to get outside..this blog has suffered.

I could always feel that slight guilt over not having posted anything. Not taking many pictures. Not having anything of interest to post. And then I would move on.

It's been difficult for me since my father's passing to post anything. He was my main motivation to post and take pictures as often as possible. I wanted him to feel like he was a part of Izzie's life. And so I fell into a bit of a blog-slump.

But now I feel that after my summer of non-bloggyness (yes, I did just make that up) and rest that I want to start up again. So thank you for your constant check ups and sorry for the wait!

Lots of love,

Ally

What I Love

Today;

Chopping garlic by hand. I have a garlic press....I never use it.

A clean kitchen.....sigh.

That we as a family use the plates from my childhood.

Happy, sleepy kitties.

A window full of finger paintings.

The (slowly) disappearing snow.

What do you love today?

Self Portraits

Should never take place when you've forgotten to shower...and brush your hair....and put on makeup. But I loved Izzies expressions so much that I couldn't resist.

She totally looks like she's telling me off. Brilliant.

UPDATED:

I may look like an unwashed freak sometimes, but I am getting better at this whole fort building thing! Case in point;

Bam, said the lady! (With an Izzie/Argyle hug for added cuteness.)

Around the House

Gratuitous shot of the kitties hiding from Izzie is always a great way to start off a post, don't you think?

The past two weeks have been lovely. Lots of above average temps, to even out the evil below average temps we were battling with earlier I'm sure, and lots of getting outside on the bakfiets. But then there are the days when we stay home. Today will be one of those days.

Sure we'll get outside for a walk or to clean off the walkways/patios. But today is a special day. It's bread making day.
I make all of our bread from scratch. I love making it, and we all enjoy eating the fresh bread. But there are two main reasons why I make our bread. I never know when bread will have milk in it, (most breads don't, but I don't want to chance it. The outcome is bad.) and to cut back on cost. And do we ever! We are big bread eaters. And it shows....

I love to knead the dough. I love it when Izzie "helps" me prepare the dough. She loves to watch me while I take sevreal different ingredient and turn it into a ball of goop. It's a great way for us to spend most of our day. And yes, the recipe we settled on takes up a bit of my day....and covers me in flour.

So if you'll excuse me, my helper and I have bread to create.

UPDATED: Just asked Izzie if she wants to help me make bread. "No." Alright then.

Happy Winter Solstice

May your day be full of warmth and light and love.

Also, FYI, it is super hard to take a picture while a kitty is in need of love and keeps snuggling your picture taking arm. (Not the kitty in the picture, obviously.)

The Hat

Remember this picture?Well, it's done. It's a bit small for Izzie's head at first (it stretches) and she didn't enjoy it when I first put it on her head, but I think she's coming around now.

I think the trick was to put it on her when she's in her highchair, distracted by apples...

The colours remind me of falls in southern Ontario. And the peak at the back? That's why I made it. I mean, come on. How is that not the cutest thing ever?

But now onto my next knitting project. A very cute sweater vest called Neighborly. (Or neighbourly up here.) Now if I could only find size 5mm bamboo circular knitting needles...

In Progress

Now that fall is fully upon us here in Winnipeg, with threats of snow not far behind, we have been spending a bit more time inside. Cozying up underneath blankets, learning new things and starting on new projects. Here is what we've been busy doing:

The constant and steady stream of dishes.....where is the dishwasher fairy when you need him?

A new fall hat for Izzie.

My quilt so far. I'm continuing with my lessons this Saturday

And starting to teach Izzie her colours.

Good times.

The Week in Pictures: Friday Sept, 25

Too many pictures that were perfect, but not enough for an entire blog post? Well here they are, a mish mash of pictures for you to see. This is how our week went....

"Dang, these boots are hard to walk in." Well, that's the reason we bought the scratching post! Not for cats. Nah, not at all...

Attack of the alfalfa hair!

They both looked so proud that I had to take a picture. Look how straight she's sitting.

Coming back from the kitchen with her milk, this sight greeted me.

A tidy toy area? This is the only time I've seen this, so a picture was necessary.

Learning to quilt. Lots of precision, lots of grumbling, lots of fun.

Izzie's big girl bed, just waiting for her room to get its second coat of paint.

Hope you all had a great week as well!

Speakerphone

For Grandpa W."Gimme that phone!"
Listening to her Grandpa W. Thank goodness for speaker phone. She tried to walk away with him!

Yard Sailing

I am officially a lover of all things yard sale. Well, not the gross falling apart furniture or the used toys that totally should have been wiped of before my daughter got her hands on them. But I love all the other things. Like orange chairs that are totally cheap for Izzie's room...

That chair is in great shape, and we got it for a steal! And it rocks, much to Izzies delight.

Yard sales are one of the best things about this season, and I mean the season of summer ending. Everyone is desperately trying to get rid of their stuff and they don't care how much you pay for it. Score! I have grabbed many pieces of fabric to reuse and we also have an end table for our couch. It's circular and a wee bit wobbly, but slap on some turquoise paint and distress it and it'll be golden....just have to figure out what paint to use....and decide which colour of turquoise.

And lastly, while shopping at a thrift store, I found this little gem..

A handmade wooden rocking horse for Izzie's delight. It now has diaper cream smeared on it, but at least it knows it's loved.
And it goes with our floor.

What Are You Looking At?

While Izzie and I walk to the library through the lovely Winnipeg skywalk, we received more than our fair share of looks. There were the "aw, cute" looks that come with towing a young one. There were also the "over-the-shoulder-stop-hogging-the-stairs-with-your-brat" stares that I feel both guilty and annoyed upon receiving. And then of course the "ugh, another child" looks. I can't feel bad about receiving that one since I did hand it out in my pre-parent days. I was a tich anti-child.

But then there are the stares that I don't like. The "Stop. Stare. Follow with your eyes." Creepy. Seriously, creepy. They have actually stopped in their tracks and are staring at me. I can see them out of the corner of my eye, and am trying not to stare back. I wonder what they're staring at. Their youth? Their long lost (however they are lost) child? I am saddened, and thoughtful...and then I start wondering....

Do you want my child? You do, don't you! You want to snatch her out of my hands and run away with her?!?!? You want to kidnap her and pass her off as your own, or pretend she's a doll, or attach stings and call her your marionette! Oh, it's on. I have never won or actually truly engage in a fight, but bring it stare-sy. We shall dance the dance of war!

And then it's over, and Izzie is annoyed. My slight mental detour has kept her from the fountain. Sorry peanut, mommy's just...well, she just loves you soooooo much that crazy people make her crazy. That's right, it's all about the love.

Broken and Busted

Our computer has decided that I should take a slight hiatus this summer, since it is now summer-y outside.

The hard drive keeps sending us messages that it's not happy and it will collapse and take us all down with it. At least we have a warranty!

So, I shall be away from here for a wee while. Hopefully only a few days, but I am at the mercy of Dell now.

See you back here soon!

Jam

We rose early this morning, and I decided it was high time to make our jam. Strawberry jam.

So I cut up the strawberries and rinsed them like they were dirty little buggers.

Boiled the jars and told only clean jokes to make sure they were sanitized.
Stirred an insane amount of sugar into the strawberries and lemon juice....and dropped a bit of the pectin on the floor. Whoops. (And I didn't swear! I'm so proud of myself.)
Remembered that I had to put paraffin wax on top of the jam to preserve it, and scrambled like a mad woman to melt it.
And then....

Jam. It suffers from a severe case of floating fruit and I thought it was too watery, but it set and can be stirred.

I am Suzy Homemaker. Look at me in my apron and pearls! Dang, fine, I'll admit it. I'm still in my p.j.'s.

Traveling

I have no idea how my parents did it. We would travel from Toronto, Ontario to Kenora, Ontario almost every summer. It's a rough drive, 2200 kilometers, which is 2 full days of 10 - 12 hour drives with two young, cranky, bored children....long before mini-vans were equipped with portable DVD players. And then after a few days they'd have to drive back home.

We traveled to Bismarck, North Dakota to visit Phil's family last weekend. (It was a long overdue trip, since we hadn't visited since American Thanksgiving.) It was a fun weekend, but the driving was rough. We don't have a portable DVD player either.

A 7 - 8 hour drive, including stops for gas, breaks and possible runnings away from the car screaming. Just kidding. Izzie is a pretty good traveler. But she kept giving us the ASL sign for "All Done." No pumpkin, sorry, we just started.

None of us were fun to be around at the end of our trip! But we've all recouped and I have more photos to share...after I've unpacked.

Hello Old Friend..

Back in 2004, I moved from Toronto to Kenora. Taking with me two bags of summer clothes and some toiletries. Nothing else. All the movies, C.D.'s, pictures, winter clothing and knick knacks I had accumulated over the 20 odd years of my life had to be put in storage in the basement of the woman's house I had been living in.

A few months ago, that woman contacted me to let me know that she was moving and my stuff had to be moved. Being here in Winnipeg, that was hard for me to do. But my wonderful brother and his girlfriend in Toronto swooped in and solved the problem for me. To make a long story a bit shorter, the boxes of stuff are now here!

And with them, my sewing machine. Bought for me by my mother...

It's a beast and is at least twice the weight of my daughter. And I missed it.
I can soon start on some projects from my new book. You know, after I buy fabric and thread and proper scissors and an iron. Yes, I don't have an iron.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to dig out my VHS copy of Dirty Dancing and be a nerd.

Um...

I can't find anything.

Seriously.

I couldn't find my wallet. Phil found it beside the dining table. I couldn't find the diaper cream. Phil found it beside the diapers. I couldn't find my keys. Isla found them (where were they??) and handed them to me.

Is this normal or the signs of an idiot?

Survey says....

(I have been successful finding things on the internet. Huzzah!)

Little Break....maybe

The rest of the week is going to be very busy.

My brother R. and his girlfriend K. are visiting us from Toronto, Ontario. They'll be staying in Winnipeg with us till Friday then we'll be heading to Kenora to visit the family. (Except for Phil who has piping obligations. ) And then on Saturday, we have the family get together! Excited for K. since this will be the first time meeting the family, and they're crazy fun. And a little overwhelming since there are scads and scads of them. I promise to take many pictures.

Hope you are all enjoying the same fine weather we have!

Vest Love

Izzie is in love. She discovered this love not too long ago. She plays with the love, wears the love and tosses the love around. Her love is a hand-me down red vest.

First time meeting the vest

Once she discovered that she could put the vest on herself, all bets were off. Now the vest rarely leaves her side.
It's over her head while she plays peek-a-boo, it's on her shoulders at dinner, last night she tried to wear it to bed. I nixed that, mean mommy that I am. I don't appreciate choking hazards very much.

Right now as I type, she has the vest over her head and is walking around. Thankfully I'm able to catch her before she walks into any walls.


This is very entertaining.

No Freaking Way

I have always loved lilacs. I mean, who doesn't? They're pretty, smell gorgeous and tell the world that spring is sprung. I even vowed to have then as my wedding bouquet, but since I got married in November that didn't happen. Therefore I have always envied anyone who has a lilac bush in their front yard.

So when we bought our house, the first thing I said to Phil was that I wanted to plant a lilac bush. Okay, it wasn't the first thing but it was said. I vowed to pull out the bushes in our front yard and plant lots of lilac bushes next year. Someone told us that the bushes were Manitoba Maples, and we already have scads of those in the backyard thank you very much!

And then I looked outside this morning...

Those be freaking lilac bushes!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! Those buds weren't there yesterday!

So very happy. Now I don't have to spend money or break my back digging out unforgiving roots. Huzzah!

Who's a cool chick?

Oh yeah.