Dow Adventures

Oh, February...

2012-02-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

You are a tough little month, February. Last year you took at run at me and you are off to a similar start this 2012. I'm glad you are the shortest of the months. You do have your redeeming qualities - mine, along with a few other important birthdays. And roll-up-the-rim-to-win usually begins at the end of the month (which, incidentally coincides with the start of Lent - maybe Tim Horton's is on us). Anyhow, you schooled me on your very first day (see previous post) and have slowly been chipping away at me with runny noses and crankiness (both kids and myself). But you will not take me down., February. I'm on to you. And here - just to show you that I'm up to the challenge of seeing you through with a lightness of spirit - here is a list of things I am thankful for today.

my community - both the live one and the virtual one on Facebook and email that helps me feel connected to others even when I haven't left the house in days
healing kids - the noses are drying up (as the energy level ramps up too)
Keith - he makes me feel cute even with my giant preggo belly and my red nose
homemade bread, toasted with peanut butter
a coffee and amazon order arriving precicely on my birthday
Lucy's shenanigans. Like yesterday, after she fell in a puddle playing outside was inside alone for all of two minutes while I got Isaiah. When I found her, she was hiding in the lazy susan, eating an entire loaf of fresh bread from the inside-out.
Isaiah's imaginiation. Seriously, I love how his little mind works, the questions he asks and how much he wants to figure out his world.
working washer, dryer and dishwasher. They were never broken - but they really do make my days so much easier and more convenient. I don't want to take them forgranted.
Soft kleenex. Because we don't need to make having a cold any more unpleasant than it already is.
Antibiotics - so my Lulu can feel better so much sooner.
Knitting - because being able to create something, making neat, orderly rows can be very theraputic when your imagination runs away with you.
The knees, elbows and feet of the babe growing in my belly. As uncomfortable as it can be to accomodate a baby in these last 6 weeks - it is also so reassuring to feel her swimming around in there.
A God who is bigger than my greatest fears - even if they do someday become a reality.

And so, February - here is the beginning of what I know will be a very long list of blessings and thanksgivings. I'll look back on them as your days go by, holding them in my heart. You may defeat me in some moments, but I think I've got you beat overall.

when being the mom is not so fun

2012-02-01T14:12:00.001-05:00

I had a good scare last night. The kind that left me wrestling with myself most of the night and feeling unsettled this morning. Last night, Lucy (who has been battling a juicy cold) looked over at me and said "My arm is sore." and pointed to her armpit region. Hmm, I thought. I wonder if she has swollen lymph glands from her cold. And I told myself not to do it - but I did it anyway - I googled it. The first words I saw were "lymphoma". Of course. I knew that's what I would see first and I thought I had prepared myself to look at the other less sinister causes - but it didn't matter. I suddenly saw my little Lucy who is just starting to want to brush her hair and put it in a ponytail - cry because it all fell out. And see her energy and spunk and precociousness drift away in treatments and blood tests and more appointments. I checked and rechecked her arms but I couldn't feel any lumps but this didn't make me feel any better. When Keith got home I told him what she said and what I thought and how I went from thinking "Oh, it's just because she has a cold virus" to "maybe it's just mono or RSV" and onto "maybe it really is that word I can't bring myself to say."

She slept the night peacefully, humidifier on, head elevated. I tossed and turned most of the night. I called the pediatrician's office as soon as they opened this morning. Keith had already left for work, trying to reassure me that her appetite was good, her energy level was good and she certainly wasn't acting like anything was wrong. And he was right. But I couldn't stop worrying. After all of the courses on anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology I took in school, I have enough medical knowledge to freak myself out - but not enough to reassure myself. It's scary to be the mom sometimes. When you decide if something is serious enough to call the doctor. So, I called. I needed someone else to make that decision. Cindy said "no, it isn't really common to get painful underarms with a cold. He should check her out." So, I called Keith - half in a panic and he drove home to pick us up so we could make the 10:15am appointment (the only available one today). The doctor thoroughly checked her out. No swelling or even tenderness in her underarm lymph nodes. He could feel one gland on her right side, but it was small and moved easily. She did have a nasty ear infection in the left ear - the side where she first told me her arm was sore. He said he wasn't that surprised - that at her age it is difficult to know what a child means when they say they have pain or soreness somewhere. That it isn't even necessarily referred pain - but they just don't feel right somewhere and they are trying to tell you. Praise the Lord.

So, Lucy is on the banana medicine for her ear and in 10 days when we go back for a follow-up he will recheck her right underarm gland - just to be sure. I'm to check it here as well for any change. The weird thing is, I don't even know how I'm feeling right now. Relieved in many ways, but I feel like I have some residual anxiety or something. Maybe it's the hormones from being so very pregnant, or the lack of sleep or the hastily eaten (and shared) breakfast as I was heading out the door. Maybe it was the three buses it took to get home. Whatever it is, hopefully some afternoon quiet, maybe a nap, and some stories will help unwind my insides - not to mention a cup of hot tea and a few prayers of thanksgiving.

this moment

2012-01-20T13:52:00.001-05:00

A moment from the week I'd like to pause, savour, and remember. Lulu asleep in the middle of "reading" her favourite stories.

Making...

2012-01-17T21:25:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted here is so very long. It has been a busy time in life for Keith, the kids and I. We have been moved into our new townhome for nearly two months and are still working away at room painting and cooridnating. Just this past weekend we finished painting Lucy's room and moved Isaiah into his own room. They both have done wonderfully sleeping and playing in their own rooms. Suddenly, Isaiah seems to be much closer to five than to four years old. Sigh.

Besides decorating our new home, I've been getting very nesty with this new baby's due date approaching. We're still 7 full weeks away from my scheduled surgery date but I've been knitting and sewing and washing, sorting, soaking and cleaning since Christmas wrapped up. I've had a few requests for what it is I've been working on with that new sewing machine I received for Christmas (Thank you again, Keith). I can't believe how much sewing time I save now that I am not constantly rethreading the machine, fiddling with the bobbin case and ripping out messy stitches. Bliss.

Knitted Items:

Tea Leaves Cardigan. Yup, the knitting has been finished for weeks, but I finally got the ends weaved in, blocked and sewed on buttons this past weekend. It fits well, I think. It is a bit difficult to tell with the giant belly I currently have. :) The yarn is Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Worsted Weight in Forest Heather.

Baby Cardigan. Keith also bought me "More Last MInute Knitted Gifts" for Christmas. I could hardly wait to cast on the quick baby sweater. It is so cute. The buttons are from Keith's grandma's stash I inherited. The wool is again, Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Worsted in Cranberry.

Sewing!

Quick-Change Trousers. I checked this book out of the library back in November sometime and had to renew it before I got the pattern traced out and packed away. I pulled it out to make some of these pants for the new babe. The instructions were great and I think she will love them. Or at least I will love her in them. They are reversible and allowed me to use up some flannel in my fabric stash. Wow, these are going to be warm. :) Lucy also loves them and so I made up a pair for her as well. Unfortunatley, the pattern only goes up to 24 months so these are a bit short. You'd think I would have just increased the length - but I had made a few other errors and well, it just didn't happen. They still fit without the cuffs rolled up on cold days or as capris.

Swaddle Blanket. If you haven't visited the Prudent Baby website, I recommend you do. This little swaddle blanket I got done in a couple of hours and is quite clever in construction.

Soakers: These are another pattern I picked up online although I can't quite remember where. I made two of the newborn sized ones since I'm actually fairly well off for small and medium diaper covers. I hope these will fit as they do look rather small - but then again, I have pretty small babies.

It is amazing that all of these items have either been finished since Christmas. I was a good little worker bee before Christmas as well - finishing a lot of handmades for my kids well before the deadline and even two sets of thrummed mittens for my sister and brother-in-law. It has been a very rewarding time for me creatively but I'm starting to be able to do bits and pieces during the day with the kids awake and that means more time with the Keither in the evening.

See the full gallery on Posterous

simplicity for the holidays...

2011-11-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

I can't bring myself to play Chistmas music yet. There may only be 40-something shopping days left until Christmas but oh so many things to come before that I just can't get into the spirit of things just yet. That being said, I do have some projects in the works for gift-giving and in spare moments have thought about what traditions we might like to begin this year (our first in our own home with kids). Ah, yes. Our new home. Perhaps the biggest change taking place in just about two weeks. We're wrapping up our time here at Matthew House Ottawa and will be moving into our first home. Scary. Expensive - but we are so looking forward to it. We have really enjoyed our time here and will miss it - but our family needs are changing now that I've begun homeschooling and we're expecting our third baby in March 2012 :) Yay.

And so, with so many big things on the very near horizon and so many decisions to make (paint colours, furniture, and art, oh my), I'll be striving for a simple family holiday. Cinnamon buns. Apple Cider. A few presents. Excellent coffee with a chocolate at the bottom of the mug. A turkey - or maybe a ham. We haven't had pork in so long. There are other traditions I'd like to start with our family, but this year it is family time we need. Rest and time together. I fully intend on breaking out the Christmas music as we paint the walls and unpack the boxes. I think I'll be ready to enjoy it then - and the holiday to come.

What are your holiday plans or traditions you are beginning or continuing this year?

working through a day of remembrance...

2011-11-11T13:58:00.001-05:00

On this day, the eleventh of November, when everyone remembers and gives thanks to those who have died for our freedom, I am conflicted. Because they also killed for our freedom. It is not that I am not grateful for the sacrifices of life and health and family and friends. I am grateful. But there is a difference between laying down your life for others and taking the life of another. I just don't know how to feel. I see Jesus dying on a cross, I hear Jesus teaching to love our enemies. I see Jesus commanding us to take care of the needy, to bind up the brokenhearted, to love our neighbours as ourselves - regardless of the dictators of the day. Being a pacifist is not being a passive-ist. It means to bring peace, to lay down the sword. Being a pacifist means valuing the life of the person who wants to do you harm as much as you value your own. Remembrance Day is a solomn occasion where the world remembers our victory and cost to achieve it. It reminds me of a time when the Church stopped listening to Jesus. For if the Christian nations of the West and the Christian nation of Germany had been following Jesus' teaching - there would have been no armies. To remember is to work for peace.

This year, we are celebrating Martinmas, The feast day of St. Martin of Tours. He started out as a Roman soldier until one day, as legend has it, he saw a beggar at the city gates, freezing with cold. He cut his red woolen cloak in two and gave half to the beggar. That night dreamed he saw Jesus wearing the half of the cloak he had given away. Jesus asking him if he recognized it, which he did and realized he must convert and devote his life to Christ.

When he was around 20 years old, he had a military victory and was to go before Emperor Julian to receive his reward. He was moved to refuse the bounty, saying "Up to now, I have served you as a soldier; allow me henceforth to serve Christ. Give the bounty to these others who are going out to battle. I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight." Emperor Julian accused him of cowardice and had him imprisoned until a truce was called.

This year we will make lanterns and bake spice cake and read his story as a small way to reflect the values we hold most dear to us - compassion, selflessness, peace. To remember to give them causes worthy of giving their lives for- but not worthy of taking those of others. It is a journey for us as we work through this peace-teaching of Jesus.

Tell me about Dragons...

2011-11-08T09:28:00.001-05:00

From the mind of my four-year-old:

A dragon can fight tigers. He can spit fire and eat people. They can run around and fly and flap their wings and scare other animals and step on other people. They live in Africa - called Dragonland. Their favourite things are to fly down and run around and change into different colours (like blue and red) or change into different animals or kids, and take a nap. And write a list for their mamadragons. They like to collect sea shells and treasures. They are bad - they can only scare people - but not me. I like dragons but I only like happy dragons. Most of the animals I like are scary animals. I feed bad dragons when they say "I NEED SOME FOOD!"

Yarn Along

2011-10-26T09:35:00.001-04:00

Joining Ginny over at Small Things with Yarn Along. This week I have finished up Isaiah's Christmas socks. I'm just so proud that I finished a pair of socks on (actually ahead) of schedule. Colin's socks from last Christmas still look like this... Ah well, maybe I'll get them done for next Christmas. Or never. :) I'm reading Paddle to the Sea with Isaiah for his "school" right now. Great descriptive language.

Also on the needles is my Tea Leaves cardigan (which I love) and hope those little poorly knit stitches in the body block out. A Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan for my tiny Lulu (which I also love) is also in the works. I'm almost done the second thrummed mitten as well. Good progress on the knitted items in the last little while. Rainy days spent indoors with sicky kids seem to allow for more time to knit. There's that silver lining.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Thanksgiving Weekend at Camp IAWAH

2011-10-24T11:33:00.000-04:00

Ropes Courses

Trust Games

By the end of the weekend we were all a little tired

Pie always helps.

And sometimes you just need to get to bed as soon as possible...which means supper in the tub.

I have been feeling guilty for not writing here lately. It is not for lack of material - but for lack of time. I thought some photo highlights from our Thanksgiving at Camp IAWAH would help me get back into the rhythm of posting. Thanksgiving weekend had the most beautiful weather in history and we spent as much of it outdoors as we could. Naturally, the kids picked up colds from all of the sharing of toys and germs from new friends, but it was all worth it.

Pumpkin Picking

2011-10-24T11:01:00.001-04:00

The weather has turned here and brought with it lots and lots of rain. A couple of weekends ago the weather cleared just enough for us to drive out to Miller's Farm and pick up our annual pumpkins. One for carving and two for pies. yum.

See the full gallery on Posterous

~ this moment ~

2011-09-30T09:13:00.001-04:00

Joining Soulemama and her readers in "This Moment." A moment from the week I want to pause, savour, and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your "moment" in the comments section for others to find and enjoy.

Elving in September...

2011-09-29T09:51:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but for me, the start of September not only means county fairs and corn on the cob but it also means the start of picking and choosing the handmade Christmas presents for the fast approaching December. The turn in the weather inspires me to pick up the knitting again. I find myself going through the December archives of the blogs I love to see the crafts and gifts of years past. I get a bit delusional when I actually start to plan my own Christmas projects. I usually end up overhauling my "to do" list a couple of weeks before Christmas. This year we will be moving into our new house at the very end of November which is going to make finishing handmades a bit interesting. I have some great projects lined up and some almost finished already. I hope to share some of the process and the finished projects here as I go. I have to be a good girl and plan and actually execute these projects well in advance if I have any hope of finishing them all before our first Christmas together as a family in our very own house.

Bit of Summer, Bit of Fall

2011-09-08T18:25:00.001-04:00

Labour Day weekend was a lovely blending of summer and fall activities. Saturday was sunny and hot and we headed over to Saunder's Farm in Munster, ON. It is a farm with everything from miniature houses for little people to giant "jumping pillows" for the big kid in us all. The day was so hot but we managed to accomplish what we set out to do: have a fun day with the kids, have a picnic, get a bit wet and stay outside as much as possible.

Sunday it rained and we had a quieter day with a cleaner set of rooms by the close of it. Monday was a perfect fall day - overcast, cool and perfect for the orchard. It is wonderful to see those rosie apples waiting to be plucked. The Cannamore Orchard was a bit of a drive so we were happy to see they had a wagon ride and other family activities to make a day out of it for the kids. I picked apples, Keith took pictures and the kids, well...despite a few admonitions of "Don't pick the green ones!" and "Out of the flowers!!!", they basically did what they pleased and loved every minute of it.

See the full gallery on Posterous

moving...

2011-07-29T07:38:00.000-04:00

Hi Folks!

I'm moving my blog over to darciedow.posterous.com. Blogger was having a very hard time importing my posts to facebook and posterous looks like a fun site to try so you can find me over there. This blog will (actually is required to) remain here and the posts may show up here as well from time to time.

Hope you'll come on over!
Darcie :)

this moment

2011-07-29T07:34:00.001-04:00

Joining SouleMama and her followers in this moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Summer dresses for Miss Lucy

2011-07-21T08:48:00.001-04:00

My dear friend Jasmine bought me this book for Christmas and I have been waiting for the time, inspiration, and fabric to make some cute clothes. True to myself, when life got busy, Darcie got crafty. Call is escapism, if you will. But last month I found the time and made these two adorable dresses for my wee lass.

The first I actually made twice. The trouble with sewing after the kids are in bed is that you can't measure them. So, the first attempt turned out too tight around the chest and will go into my gift/in the event of future children pile of stuff until I decide what to do with it.

Sorry the pictures aren't better. Have you ever tried to take a picture of a 2 year-old who felt pretty?

I made it - well, both of them actually, from the fabric I received from Keith's late grandma. It is so pretty and was asking to be sewn into a dress for a toddlergirl. The straps are too long and I need to fix them but it is otherwise satisfactory and I made it in 3 hours. I was quite proud of how this one turned out.

The second was a nightmare in some ways - but oh so simple in others. It was my first attempt at shirring - or smocking. The book talked about doing it like it was no big deal - like it shouldn't mess with the tension on your machine - having elastic thread on the bottom and regular thread on top. The machine I was using kept jamming and was very ornery about the whole thing. Since my machine was seized (until my father-in-law came to the rescue) this little dresses was side-lined for a long time.

Once I had my machine back it too me about two hours. And since it is smocked, it fits perfectly. Although those straps are too long on this one as well...okay..so not "perfectly" - but close enough for me. If Lucy didn't already have a closet full of summer hand-me-down clothes, I'd make 7 of these and she would wear one every day to play in. The fabric I bought at value village for $2.99 or something and I've made a baby blanket as well as this dress. Not bad :)

Notes from the Garden

2011-07-18T23:22:00.001-04:00

I thought I should post a few pictures of our garden. Don't laugh - I'm actually quite proud of it. Here are some things I've learned from my first season of vegetable gardening.

1) The herbs are LOVING the direct sunlight they are getting - and are uber convenient being right outside the kitchen door.

2) Don't wait too long to reseed if the seedlings are a no-show. There is no point in restarting peas in mid-July.

3) Don't wait too long to stake your pole beans if you don't want them to wrap themselves into an enormous mess around whatever plant they can get a strangle-hold on. Sorry raspberry bushes.

4) Do not wait too long to do the second planting of lettuce. If you do, your lovely sweet plants will bolt before your new ones are out of the ground.

5) Peppers love big containers. So far the bugs have done minimal damage. I even spotted a happy jalapino pepper this morning.

6) If you don't have a sandbox, keep a row or two clear for toy car expeditions and random excavations for worms.

7) You can never have too much rhubarb. ever.

Happy Herbs

Cherry Tree

Hopefully we'll get a pumpkin out of these...

Berry Theif

First Peas

Other peoples' bountiful gardens

Matthew House really is in full bloom - with flowers, fruit and folks.

A Birthday Gift...

2011-07-16T20:30:00.001-04:00

There hasn't been a lot of overly-productive crafting going on here lately. Matthew House is busy and full and there is a growing garden to tend and two very busy kids to play with and all of that glorious sunshine that has caused me to put down my lovely sweater knitting and pick up sock knitting. Naturally, new socks - not the navy blue ones I was supposed to finish in time for last Christmas.

But, in spite of the slow knitting and the nightly game (or two) of Age of Empires III I've been playing with the Keither, I found time to make a little boy a birthday present. A friend of Lucy and Isaiah had a birthday party this Saturday and instead of buying him another plastic toy I thought I'd springboard off of the wonderful gift idea my friend gave to Isaiah for his 4th birthday and do up a Fort Kit for this next birthday boy.

I didn't use a pattern for the backpack but made it out of some fabric I picked up at the thrift store. It was very easy and I'd be happy to write out detailed instructions for any of you who would like them.

Inside the bay is a bedsheet with long fabric ties at each corner and on the sides so it can be tied to trees, decks, chairs, etc. There is also some rope and some clothes pins. I hope he likes it. I know Isaiah LOVES his. (Thanks again, Diana!). She got the idea from a blog but I didn't ask her which one, sorry.

Hope you make your own Fort Kits for the burgeoning adventurers in your life.

this moment

2011-07-15T15:12:00.001-04:00

Sunset Ceremonies

2011-06-29T14:01:00.001-04:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Keith & Darcie Dow <keith.darcie@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 1:53 PM
Subject: Sunset Ceremonies
To: darciedow@posterous.com

One of the great things about living in Ottawa, Canada (and there are many) is the Canada Day celebration. The Nation's Capital is be greatest place to be to feel the patriotism, see the diversity, and experience the nation united in fun. This year we won't be heading downtown for the festivities as we expect it will be even more crowded and crazy than usual, what with Will and Kate, the Royal Couple, in town. mayhem. However, there are many activities to go to that don't happen right on Canada Day that we can participate in. For example, last Sunday night we took the kids to the Sunset Ceremonies at the RCMP Stables. I had never seen the Musical Ride before and had only seen Mounties a few times around Parliament or in passing. Typically, in American TV they are portrayed as 6-foot-tall men in the red surge, big hats and funny pants saying "Aboot" and "Please" and "Eh" in heavy repetition. Truthfully, we Canadians do tend towards the extreme in manners, many of us do say "Eh?" and the Mounties do wear that funny uniform. They are also a national symbol of sorts for honour and dignity and general uprightness. I do like the Mounties.

For those of you who have no idea what the Musical Ride is I'll include this short video clip - although the pictures are much better. We were on the right side of the arena for family pictures but not for horsie pictures. I do apologize.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Conversations with a 4 year-old.

2011-06-20T10:38:00.001-04:00

On the way to church Keith thought he take advantage of a "teachable moment" with Isaiah and try to teach him a new "day of the week".

Keith: Isaiah, do you know what day it is?
Isaiah: Play with toys day!
Keith: Well, yes, you're going to get to play with toys. But do you know what day of the week it is?
Isaiah: You don't have to go to work.
Keith: That's right, and what day does Daddy get to stay home on? What is the name of the day?
Isaiah: Hannah.
Keith: No, not Hannah.
Isaiah: Uncle Trenton. David.
Keith: (laughing) No, it starts with an "S"
Isaiah: Saturday!
Keith: Yesterday was Saturday, so today is..ssssss
Isaiah: Saturday!
Keith: Yesterday was Saturday, today we are going to Kidmax. What day do we go to kidmax on?
Isaiah: Saturday!
Darcie: Sunday, Isaiah. If Kidmax is on Sunday and we're on our way to Kidmax, what day is it today?
Isaiah: Saturday!
Keith: Isaiah, see that big bright ball in the sky? What is it called?
Isaiah: The Sun!
Keith: That's right, the sun. So today is Sunday. Do you know what tomorrow is?
Isaiah: Cloud Day!

:: right now ::

2011-06-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

Right now I am...

~ smiling at how cute it is that Lucy has now named two of her babies "Sophie" after the little girl we met at the beach on Saturday
~ marveling at how many words come tumbling out of that small face each moment she is awake
~ hoping I remember this phase of Isaiah's homeschooling where is he so excited about letters and constantly asking "What does that start with?".
~ realizing he won't always be this exciting about learning everything
~ remembering the look on Lucy's face when I caught her putting on my make-up this morning
~ grateful for Keith and what he brings to our marriage and rearing our kids. I am so glad I am not in this alone.
~ humbled by the sermon last Sunday
~ naively excited about the prospect of camping with our kids
~ smelling fresh bread
~ rather amazed at how much can get done when you embrace a rainy day indoors with your kids
~ happy to see the little green heads popping up in the garden rows
~ enjoying my busy hands and my full heart...and a little bit of chocolate brownie.

~this moment~

2011-06-10T08:50:00.000-04:00

Weekend Surprise Trip!

2011-06-07T22:20:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning Keith woke up and said "I have some big plans for us today!" Then he promptly went downstairs to make pancakes. I got up and started to get the kids ready for whatever these plans were. Then he said "Pack overnight bags." Yes, Sir! Our last two residents had moved out on Friday so we had the house to ourselves and consequently the opportunity to take a spontaneous overnight family trip.

After a yummy breakfast and whirlwind packing for four people (for all contingencies - since I had no idea where we were headed) along with a picnic lunch we all climbed into the car. Keith stopped at the grocery store to pick up "Buns for our sandwiches" and came back with three full grocery bags. I discovered two giant bags of carrots. He said he was looking for a peeler since he thought these would be a nice snack. Odd, I admit. But I didn't think much of it. Keith does weird things sometimes.

After crossing into Quebec and driving for an hour or so we arrived at our destination:

Auberge Montebello. Beautiful. The famous Chateau Montebello Resort is down the road but we had no complaints about our comfortably priced hotel. Big room, two Queen beds, a set of bunkbeds and a pack 'n play. Perfect. We dumped our gear and then Keith said "Aright, let's go!"

Back in the car. 10 minutes later we arrived at Surprise #2: Parc Omega. I had never even heard of it and was thrilled that this is what we got to do! The immense carrot purchase now made sense.

Feeding the fawns. By this point, even Lucy had the nerve to come close.

Our little family

There were, of course, animals we were not permitted to feed carrots to. These were behind fences. Lucy is trying to give you a hint as to which animals these were.

Lulu pretending to be - well, something ferocious.

There were the Black Bears (Lucy's favourite), the Timberwolves, the Arctic Wolves, the Coyotes, and the Buffalo. Apparently, the Buffalo might wreck your car - even if they aren't trying to be aggressive.

The Ibex were a true crowd-pleaser. And very polite.

Mr. Ibex taking advantage of the fact that Keith frequently ignored the Omega safety rule of keeping windows half-closed at all times. Stupid driver's-side window controls.

Our navigator

I think this is a great destination for families with kids. We did the drive-around safari first. Then we did two walking trails (one with a golf cart) where you could feed the deer without the safety of your vehicle. The bonus was the park admission was included in our hotel cost.

Lucy's Omega highlight - riding in the front of the golf cart with Daddy. Well, that and the pigs!

It was a fantastic family getaway weekend for us - a time of refreshment and reconnection.

Isaiah's look of Terrified Pride - My wee boy is growing up.

~this moment~

2011-05-27T10:21:00.000-04:00

Workbasket Wednesday...

2011-05-25T13:38:00.000-04:00

Here is a wee update on what has been occupying me over the past few months.

Isaiah's sweater - I posted about this way back here and then here again and so here it is. I weaved in the ends while the kids were asleep in the sunshine Monday afternoon. A labour of love, this sweater. This was the first time I tried Elizabeth Zimmerman's Percentage System for a sweater from The Opinionated Knitter. It worked like a charm for the entire thing but the neck opening. That I had to rip back a few rows to make a bit wider for Isaiah's gargantuan melon.

Thrummed Mittens - I made good progress on these on Mother's Day - sticking them in my purse with some torn unspun yarn in a ziploc baggie. I'm pretty impressed with how fast they knit up once you get going. Tearing the unspun wool is what fuels the procrastination. Thanks to the Yarn Harlot for the hilarious yarn-along.

Isaiah's "Superhero" - that is what he lovingly calls all capes - just "superhero". So he's getting one and I am excited to give it to him with the warm weather upon us. I have visions of him wearing only this cape and his underpants running around the parking lot.

Those Socks - yes, yes. I'm still working on them. Sort of. I lost another needle a couple of weeks ago so I'm back down to 3 size 2mm needles. sigh. now I have to go buy a new set of them before I can make any more progress. Update: The very nice Chinese man at the drycleaning/yarn store gave me a set of 2mm for free - before I dropped off Keith's pants for cleaning!! Nice man.

I have a couple of projects for my little miss. One is finished but too small so I'll be making another LARGER one soon. The other is still in the works so I'll be posting on them a little later this week.

What have you been working on this week?

Weekending

2011-05-24T12:14:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful long weekend with a trip to the Carp Farmer's Market and some other garage sales on Saturday, Sunday morning church followed by an afternoon at the Tulip Festival and a Monday spent on a drive and a beautiful (hot) afternoon at Petrie Island. Here are some photos of our long family weekend.

Wholesome(er) Whole Wheat Cookies

2011-05-17T23:48:00.000-04:00

My craft-night friend, Becky, wrote out her very yummy chocolate chip cookie recipe for me a while ago and I've been experimenting with it to make a healthier version for the littles. Here is what I've landed on. Keith even liked them, so I think I'll stick with this version. I've been trying to get a picture of the finished cookies for ages but they never last long enough for me to take one.

1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup combination of raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, coconut, dried cranberries or any other add-ins you'd like to try.

Cream together shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Combine well. Fold in chocolate chips and other add-ins. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake @ 350F for 10-12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire cooling racks.

Gardening as a Family Affair

2011-05-15T23:06:00.000-04:00

I have been dreaming of having a vegetable garden for years. When Keith and I got engaged and I lived with Dave and Jill I tried to grow some herbs from seeds on her front windowsill. no luck. Then I tried (weakly) to grow some tomatoes in containers on our apartment balconies. no luck. We have been fortunate to live quite close to community garden plots and I had visions of getting a plot and going there with my kids to weed and water. The reality of being pregnant with an under 2 year-old and then having two under 3-year-olds was enough to smack that vision out of me.

But now we're at Matthew House and the kids are a wee bit older and the gardens are quite literally in our back yard. We have been trying to establish the "Garden Golden Rules" such as "The dirt must stay in our own rectangle" and "Do not touch the other rectangles." etc.

I am really looking forward to this initial year of sticking seeds in the ground and waiting until little green heads pop up. It is always a bit nerve-wracking trying something new that you really want to turn out well. As we were turning over the garden patch I told Keith that I hoped I would be a good gardener. "You will be eventually." he replied. Ah - permission to fail. It was actually encouraging to me to have this permission since it is quite likely things won't go according to my lofty plans. He still dug away at the soil knowing the seeds might not yield up their fruit. So I dug too. Isaiah made roads in the dirt with his trucks. Lucy pushed her stroller up and down the footpath. Even if nothing grows - the time spent together will yield a harvest of joy.

Spring Around Matthew House

2011-05-13T15:32:00.001-04:00

Spring is underway here at Matthew House. The other day Isaiah looked out of our bedroom window and said "Mommy, there's popcorn in the trees!"

So sweet. I explained that the trees had flowers on them and that the flowers were going to turn into fruit. I sincerely hope that idea was just as miraculous to him as popcorn in the trees - because the way God created things is pretty amazing - even if we do take it forgranted. A couple of years ago my friend Jordan bought a book for the kids called "Watching". It is a wonderful story. Read it if you get the chance.

We're trying to get outside as much as we can these days - with the warm air and the trees just pushing out their leaves again - and before the bugs.

Enjoy the Sunshine!

A Weekend to be Thankful For...

2011-05-08T23:19:00.000-04:00

Our little family shared a lovely Mother's Day weekend. After an eventful week that involved hours of driving, an afternoon in the ER with Lucy (she's fine - she probably didn't swallow any of the pills but we had to be sure), and a lot of activity around residents and new apartments, it was a welcome reprieve.

Today, I'm thankful for:

the beginning of farmer's market season
horse-drawn wagon rides downtown
new haircuts
long walks in the woods with walking sticks, bog monsters and fertile imaginations
a newly overturned garden with fewer raspberry bushes
a stack of twigs ready to mark the rows of planted seeds
sleeping littles in the next room
a husband who desires better things for our family - like spending time reading inspirational books together
a church who encourages doing the hard work of discernment instead of a "do not" list.
skype dates with family far away

Enjoy your week. Hoping to post some project updates soon!

Vintage Goodness...

2011-04-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

Last Spring, Keith's grandma passed away and after a few months Grandpa asked all of the grandkids to come and go through Grandma's belongings and take what we'd like. I was away at school when both of my grandmothers died so I was never part of this process. It was overwhelming - the feeling that these were her's - that she picked them out herself and I felt I knew this Grandmother-in-law of mine a bit better by being there. The most wonderful and also somewhat sad part was going through all of her yarn and fabric and notions. Beautiful fabric all neatly tied into bundles with scraps secured inside. Summery cotton prints neatly folded and waiting for their turn to be sewn into something useful and lovely. She wasted nothing - each scrap was there just in case she ever needed it for a log cabin square or a pocket lining. Grandpa even sent along her Bernina sewing machine. I cannot wait to try it out. It was so special and humbling to go through her wardrobes of cloth and sewing tables - to pick and choose as best I could what I would use and what might be better used by the quilting guild. I was sad because none of her original granddaughters sew or knit. I was sad that they couldn't fully appreciate the richness of her collection of thread, rickrack, wool and cloth. The history in the cut fabric of pajamas and receiving blankets and nightgowns; pant suits and summer skirts and blouses. I was honoured to take it and I hope I can make some beautiful things for her great grandbabies - just like she would have wanted to do.

This Moment

2011-04-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

I missed participating in This Moment last Friday - so I thought I'd put these up until I get the time to write a post. :) Happy Cookie Time.

weekend outings

2011-04-19T09:55:00.000-04:00

A little over a week ago Keith and I took the kids to the Experimental Farm for a look at the animals, a craft/bake sale and a stroll through the ornamental gardens and the arbouretum. It's a area of Ottawa that has a lot of great memories for Keith and I - particularly the arbouretum. It was a treat to get such lovely pictures of our children in a place where we also have lovely pictures from our engagement and wedding.

The Art of Planning

2011-04-08T09:34:00.001-04:00

Spring can be a wonderfully busy time of year. I love how a bit of warm air can refresh us after the long freeze of winter. With so much feeling new, Keith and I have been looking ahead to what is coming up. We have realized that we've reached the stage in our lives where "If you don't plan for it, it won't happen." (to quote my mother). And this sage advice has led us to a lot of decisions, both big and small.

We've begun to be more intentional about "date nights". Keith is mildly addicted to Groupon and other deal websites. Now that we have already spent the money, we much more motivated to go out to play pool or go bowling with the kids!

Secondly, I'm hoping to try my hand at gardening in the community plots here at Matthew House. I have loved reading blogs with the gorgeous pictures of kids with muddy hands from helping plant seeds and make those adorable soil blocks. We don't have room to start our seeds indoors but I'm hopeful to start some peas and lettuce in May. We have a great volunteer here who will be guiding me through my first year as a vegetable gardener.

On a much larger scale, we've begun to look for a more permanent housing situation since our time living here at Matthew House is limited. This world of home-buying is scary and wildly expensive but so very exciting. Lawyers and pre-approvals and neighbourhoods...oh my.

And then there's that whole issue of planning another baby. hmm.

So many plans, long and short term. Not to mention those Christmas gifts for 2011, planned back at the end of 2010...those family vacations to save for, visits to see friends and family. It can be hard to stay "in the now" with all of these ideas whirling in my head. It is a wonderful thing to find myself content here, that these plans are not ones I feel will "make things right".

It is a rare opportunity Keith and I and our kids have been afforded. Not too many people get to live in a place like Matthew House - To take up the challenge of serving others outside of your family each day. To give people a home during a scary transition in their lives. It is a rewarding time, this.

And so we put our "oceans of dreams within eggshells*". We plan in pencil, we enjoy today.

*a small line from a poem by Kate Ndlovu.

~this moment~

2011-03-25T09:53:00.000-04:00

Gratitude...

2011-03-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

I am thankful for:

~ the brilliant volunteers who help Matthew House run on a daily basis so I can be free to be with the children

~ the growing puddles in the parking lot

~ good coffee

~ a reluctant second sock being cast on

~ yarn that doesn't judge you when you cast on a project for the third time

~ a weekend of pancakes, real maple syrup and happy reunions

~ time to make dinosaur-shaped scones with Lucy and Isaiah

~ Lucy and her vibrant and amusing personality

~ longer, sunnier, warmer days

~ less time in front of the TV and more time outdoors

~ Isaiah reading "Mighty Max" to himself, nearly word for word.

A Flurry of Projects...

2011-03-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

Reasons I'm really glad I'm learning to sew.

#1: This is what I can accomplish in 7 hours of sewing for baby shower gifts:

3 double-sided receiving blankets (cotton/flannel), 10 3-ply burp clothes (cotton/flannel), and 3 eye pillows (flaxseed, lentils and lavender)

#2: It is faster than knitting....or - did I not make that clear?

Learning to Play Outdoors

2011-03-16T13:01:00.000-04:00

Despite the runny noses the kids and I ventured outside today for a little after-lunch-but-before-quiet-time play time outside. They are just learning how to play outside adventurously - or at least Isaiah is. Lucy still tends to want to play with me or walk/run towards all of the places she is not supposed to go - which I suppose is also adventurous.

The favourite toys to play outdoors with are sticks, of course. Very specific sticks that each kid has taken a particular liking to. Unfortunately, I'm quite sure Isaiah's stick got ravaged by the snow plow the other day and he is not nearly as impressed with its replacement. The second favourite toy is the wagon. We just recently were able to swap out the sled and get out the wagon. The kids like it because the side fences can be lifted out to make it easier for them to climb aboard.

It has been wonderful to wear the lighter coats, forgo snowpants and wear rain boots for puddles instead of Winter boots for warmth. I think the kids are feeling the change in the air too.

Someone is definitely ready for Spring to come!

Lucy's first time watching popcorn pop the "old fashioned" way. Wait until I show them how to do it in a kettle on the stove!

Happily munching the post-play snack

Project Update: Mostly Knitting

2011-03-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it is the middle of March and I haven't posted very many project pictures in a few weeks.

First up - the finished projects!

This is the Lazy Days skirt from Oliver +S. The cotton fabric was quite thin so I added a second layer of solid coloured fabric inside. I made a bunch of mistakes but learned a lot. I actually made two of these, one for my wee girl (not shown) and my niece for their 2nd and 4th birthdays, respectively.

I also finished up knitting this cowl out of stash yarn. It is too big so I'm thinking about knitting an I-cord to weave through it so I can cinch it at the neck. It is soooo soft - baby alpaca and silk. I can't wait to wear it - guess I should weave in the ends...

Next on the finished pile is a small hat that ended up being too small for Rowie (and even a bit small on Lulu) but I'll put it in the growing pile of gifts to go to upcoming babies.

Isaiah's striped sweater is coming slowly along - row by row. It is going to be way too big, I can tell already, but I try to tell myself it means more seasons of wear before it gets retired or passed down. I am itching to cast on a Tomten for him but I'm resisting.

Up next - those socks. I finished up Sock #1 but haven't found the time (or the pattern...) for the second one... grr.

Finally, the project I'm having the most fun with - thrummed mittens! Woot. These are knitting up fast (besides all that ripping and twisting of unspun wool). I am so excited by how easy these actually are to make - and how warm they are. They are my new favourite. Thank you Yarn Harlot, for the humorous yarn-along.

I have about 30 balls of yarn hidden (from myself, not my husband) under our bed right now that I bought with birthday money and gift certificates. (Thank you, Keith and Dad Dow) as well as a Turkish drop spindle so I'm working hard at trying to get these unfinished projects into the finished pile before I lose all focus and self-control and open that box. I may need another cup of coffee...

This Moment

2011-03-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

Lucia Hope

2011-03-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

Our little "Light of Hope" turned two today. She is a quirky, mischievious and marvelous wee thing. She thinks she is big. She tries anything her brother can do. She talks all the time, she takes care of her babies, she loves to hold her brother's hand when she's afraid. She is a flurry of wardrobe changes. She loves purses. She also loves playing with her brother's cars. We are excited to watch God's plan unfold for her and pray we will raise her well, equipping her to follow Him with courage. What a wonderful and fun little life we celebrate today!

Dow is in the blood...

2011-03-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

Isaiah has begun a new habit. I observed him over the next few days and saw it happen more and more - watching TV, sitting in his car seat, listening to a story and then he started to do it in his sleep. He started to assume "this" position virtually everywhere. (But not necessarily with the tongue poking out).

I told Keith about it and he said nonchalantly "That's what the Dow men do. We all do that, usually after we eat." Wow. He really is a Dow man, this son of mine.

This Moment

2011-02-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Short List

2011-02-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

I was cleaning up the bookshelf in the kids' room the other day and I thought I would share with you our short list of most beloved board books. That middle stack of books has withstood a lot of love and reading in heavy repetition in the time we've had them. Poor "Bear Snores On" is in need of some serious binding repair, but I never tire of it.

The Dr. Seuss books on the left would make the long list of favourites - with a particular mention of "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb" (which, incidentally is NOT by Dr. Seuss) and Mr. Brown can Moo!

What are your most beloved books to read to your wee ones?

This Moment

2011-02-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

Febrrrrruary

2011-02-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

So many things already in this shortest and hardest month. Small triumphs, epic fails, sickness, a new resident, sleep-deprived nights, big birthdays, overdue talks with faraway friends, and frigid temperatures.

This has been a tough month so far. It has been cold and the kids and I have been sick - a lot. I've been missing my family and my oldest friends (not old in years, of course). My friend, Jan, told me February is the hardest month for parenting and given my experience and that she has 7 kids, I believe her.

But despite the challenges, I am glad to see the small steps forward in the sea of used kleenex, the continuous coughing and whining, and empty bottles of infant and adult tylenol. I am proud of my husband for all of the slack he's picked up and never complained about despite it's toll. I'm thankful for the healing of tiny bodies. I am grateful for volunteers who remember what it was like to have small kids in the Winter months. I was happy to celebrate my 30th birthday this month. I felt I parented well through one of the worst days I've had - and that was no small victory :). I got back to some homeschooling with Isaiah. I found out Lucy likes raw red peppers. I got a great new haircut at a real salon. I received some beautiful birthday presents (like this one from Jasmine) I have gift certificates for yarn and books and coffee. Really, the rest of this month may not be too bad.

Drycleaners and Pygmy Puffs

2011-02-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

It was the first week in January and Keith's birthday so I went to get my hair cut upon his request. I have a small face, so when my bangs get too long they kind of - take over. Keith happens to like my face so I thought it would be a nice gift if he could see it again. The hairdresser only had time to cut my bangs since I didn't have an appointment so I was childless and had 20 extra minutes of spare time!

I was feeling leisurely when I left the salon and happened to be looking in the windows of the other shops in the strip mall when I saw it - yarn. Yarn and knit up socks in the window of a drycleaner. I believe I threw open the door and said - okay, yelled - "You sell yarn here!" If you aren't a knitter or crocheter you probably don't understand what it is like to find a new yarn source a mere 5 minute walk from your house. So, after my outburst, the very sweet lady behind the counter started to tell me about her online yarn store and her mother who knit up the socks. The yarn was mostly bamboo sock weight yarn and some chunky wool but the prices were great. They also had some eyelash yarn for dirt cheap and I had only just stumbled upon Nancy Frye's pattern for Pygmy Puffs from Harry Potter VI. What was a girl to do? So I spent $7.50 for two balls of bamboo and one ball of purple/blue eyelash yarn.

Here is my Puff :)

I think I'm going to knit the stay-on baby booties with bamboo, but we'll see. I have managed to stay on my yarn-fast wagon since my slip on the 6th - but we are entering February, which although short, seems to drag out the Winter here in Ottawa...and I think my Christmas dress needs to be drycleaned :)

This Moment

2011-02-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Wool Socks

2011-02-02T08:36:00.000-05:00

Wool socks. The epitome of warmth and comfort on Wintery days. This is what I thought when I set out knitting these guys for my brother-in-law, Colin. He is an outdoorsy guy who hunts and fishes and has loved the fingerless gloves I've made for him in the past. So, I started knitting. These are the third pair of socks I've made in my four and a half years as a knitter. The first pair took about 6 months. Well, the first sock took about 3 months and the second sock took three months to even make it onto the needles but knit up in a couple of weeks. The second pair I blitzed and finished in a little over a week. Naturally, I was optimistic when I cast on the first of this pair back before Thanksgiving - Canadian Thanksgiving - at the beginning of October. This is as far as they've made it - or rather, IT has made it.

The combination of a knit 3, purl 1 pattern and the very fine navy blue yarn means that I need good lighting to work on these and since I have a 3.5 year old and a 23month-old - I knit mostly watching TV with Keith in the evenings with very poor lighting.

Needless to say, I took a break from knitting on these for a few weeks after the holidays, once I was reconciled to the fact that Colin wouldn't be getting these socks before Spring. During my hiatus I was at our monthly knitting guild meeting with my friend Jasmine. I was telling her about "those stupid socks" when the lady across the table told me she had knit every pair of socks her husband had for the last 50 years. In a knit 3, purl 1 pattern. In black yarn. She told me she hated knitting every pair, but he loved them so she kept doing it for 50 years. Isn't that just it? Us crazy knitters will knit something we hate working on for someone we love just because we know they will love it. We are a mental, but generous bunch.

p.s. If you haven't looked at this video on Franklin Habit's blog: The Panopticon, I think you should. Especially if you are a non-knitter with a knitting friend. This may explain a lot.

The Yarn Fast - Month One.

2011-01-31T22:24:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's true. I told my sweet husband that I was going to go a whole year without buying any new yarn but was going to knit up projects from my stash. And my husband loves me and so he holds me accountable for those careless words I spoke in my altruistic moment. And so, I'll be posting pictures as I progress through my stash, knitting projects big and small for my littles and loved ones.

Here is my first sweater of the year that I began last Fall but put on hold for Christmas knitting. It's the Shalom Cardigan. I really wanted to add sleeves, but they will either have to wait a year - or I'll just have to knit a second Shalom when I break my fast (or someone sends me 2 Skeins of Cascade EcoWool). :)

This sweater turned out rather well, I think. I may have reversed my twisted ribs (front and back) but they still stand out enough. I followed the mods made by some on ravelry - no waist shaping and twisted ribbing on the hem.

This Moment

2011-01-28T09:16:00.000-05:00

A Happy Little Space...

2011-01-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

I saw it the other day, on the side of the bus shelter; "Kindergarten Registration" - it starts this week. It was a bit of a shock to me. Isaiah is old enough this year to register for JK and that shocked me a bit too. Keith and I have been planning to homeschool our kids since we were engaged. During the past year or so I've been trying to do more learning activities and purposeful play with Isaiah to help prepare him and myself for his homeschooling journey. However, all structure sort of flew out of the window when we moved to Matthew House and the residents moved in.

Well, I reacted to the school situation the way I typically do when confronted with stressful and daunting tasks; momentarily panic, then begin to consider all options in case I can't pull this one off, then begin to furiously research and plan and plan and plan until I don't feel anxious anymore. My coping mechanism for stress has always been to start to chip away at the problem - it feels active, productive, and usually gives me a better idea of how big the problem really is - which 9 times out of 10 - is not as big as I originally thought.

So, here you have it, a little spot in Matthew House that is for TotSchool with my kids. Fortunately, I've been reading a lot of terrific blogs for some time
and they have all sorts of ideas and links and resources for homeschooling preschoolers. I'll try to post pictures of the Totbooks I'm putting together. Most are from 1+1+1=1. I haven't put them into the folders but put out two or three of the activities at a time. So far Isaiah is LOVING the dinosaur activities. I think the added structure to the day will really benefit the littles even if they don't learn exactly what I think they should. I think the structure will really help me out as well since balance is still elusive in this odd little world we live in. Here is to a fresh start!

This Moment

2011-01-07T23:44:00.000-05:00

Winter

2011-01-04T19:45:00.000-05:00

We've had a quiet week at Matthew House since we returned last Monday. The residents were still away visiting friends so we've had the place to ourselves. We did do some bargain hunting this past weekend, looking for a used snowsuit for Isaiah. It seems the 3-year-old has finally outgrown the size 2T suit we bought him three Winters ago.

Having the right gear for braving the cold makes enjoying the Winter months so much easier. It takes a bit of work to convince the kids putting on all of those clothes is worth it once they get outside and still feel like it is cold. It takes some running around, being silly, toboganning, snow-fort building, and tossing-into-powder-kind-of-play to teach them the cold is no big deal. I hope that by nurturing a love of Winter in the kids now will result in less whining, less fighting, more fresh air and bedtime sleepiness. And really, the 10 minutes it takes to get ready is small potatoes when you see how cute the kids look all bundled up.

We're also trying to teach the kids about God's gift of seasons. That Winter has it's own smell, it's own activities, it's own rituals - like putting on the woolies. Winter also gives us a few more things to be thankful for, like warm homes and hot chocolate.

Sometimes...

2010-12-13T15:40:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when read blogs written by mamas who inspire me with their family values, projects, and parenting style, I get a bit jealous. I feel restless for a place of our own. I want space to parent without being within earshot of folks who have grown up in a place with different cultural parenting norms. Sometimes I get restless for painting my kids' bedroom a colour that matches the mama-made quilts on their beds. Sometimes I miss turning the music up really loud. Sometimes I miss letting the kids dictate the pace or tasks of the day. Sometimes I feel I don't have the opportunity to teach the kids about some of the things we value - like art and literature, creating things and giving them away.

But then I remember that we are living an opportunity to teach them about some of the other things we value - like having compassion for people, like being a team and trying to help each other when things are difficult, or frustrating, or confusing, like making do with less, and learning from others, and hopefully, doing all of these things to the glory of God. It's hard to put things on the 'back burner' sometimes. But when I look at what's cooking - well - I think it's worth it.

Special thanks to the Greynam Court, formerly know as State Street, formerly know as Viewmount Drive Home Church for the gift certificate for the two-night stay downtown. Keith, the kids and I had a wonderful family getaway this past weekend.

The Pebble...

2010-12-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

I always knit with the best of intentions. I always intend to follow the pattern as it is written and fix mistakes as I go. It seems, though, that there is a point of no return, where I am not going to go back and fix a mistake - I'm going to press on and finish the project. And hence, we have The Pebble. This sweater vest pattern was written for a 6-12 month old baby. I wanted to knit it for Isaiah for Christmas so I made my first attempt at "upsizing". I bought Lion Brand's Thick and Quick and 10mm circular needles and went for it. I just knit the pattern as it was written, made almost no mistakes and got this:

A sweater vest that fit me. sort of. It was certainly far too huge for Isaiah, and I knew this as I was knitting it. I knew it was way bigger around than he needed - but by the time I got far enough to see this, I was past the point of no return. So then I had this:

Because honestly, I wasn't going to wear this manly little vest. It was a bit too short and shapless and bulky and although perfect for my 3-year-old - not at all becoming on me.

So now I have this, a baby cocoon for a soon-to-be-here boy and lots of green potential for those days when the white of winter seems to go on forever and I'm longing for Spring.

This Moment

2010-12-03T19:23:00.000-05:00

For the Small Things...

2010-11-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday, Matthew House welcomed three new freezing Namibian residents through our doors. Consequently, life here has gone from a brisk but manageable pace in caring for our first resident, getting ready for Christmas and the upcoming family wedding, training volunteers, cooking meals and most importantly caring for the one larger and two smaller Dows - to the sprint we're running now. I woke up feeling grumpy and strained, but SouleMama's post today helped me find some perspective and the "letting go" that needs to happen in order to enjoy the day. It's like when a ship is in a storm and they can try to fight it or they let go of the sails and run with the storm. So, in this season where we find ourselves extra busy, I'm thankful for these small and not so small things...

Pingu and toddler babble from the other room
Amazing volunteers
Babies soon-to-be here!
Namibian first-snow-experiences
craft nights with lovely ladies and my wee man
a coffee cup that doesn't judge me for refilling it three times today
the husband who helps to hold me together :)

Cousins

2010-11-20T09:01:00.000-05:00

These two peas in a pod were born just 3 months apart. My mom, sister and niece came for a visit last week and although these visits tend to be far too short - they are always sweet. It is a joy to watch the bonds of family grow strong between the cousins as they play "sleeping bunnies" and try to share new toys and encourage each other with using the potty. It reminds us just how important it is for our kids to know where they belong, to give an extra measure of grace when we're tired and cranky, to always hug and say sorry - because we're family and family is a special, sacred thing.

This Moment

2010-11-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

The Guild

2010-11-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

Say hello to the great minds who have been presiding over our fridges for the past few years. Keith has carefully picked out these fellows from a list of the Greats and I quite agree with his choices. Unfortunately, so do the kids which makes it difficult to keep wee hands off of these charming puppets.

Introducing Monkley

2010-10-31T22:22:00.000-04:00

I've been hard at work on handmade Christmas presents over the last few months. I'm trying to do handmade as much as I can this year and it is making Christmas more meaningful for me. I really enjoy the time I invest in each gift and I hope it will help quell the consumerism of Christmas in our family. Anyways, here is what or should I say "who" I've just finished working on.

May I introduce to you, Monkley - at least that is what I am anticipating his name to be. Isaiah has been mildly obsessed with Curious George for some time so when I saw a pattern for a very cute sock monkey in this book (see below) I thought I would make him one for Christmas. I made his pajamas to match the ones I've made for Isaiah for Christmas Eve. I hope they become good friends.

The book, Craft Hope, has a lot of really interesting patterns and craft ideas for you own loved ones or for ones you've never met. It is compiled by Jade Sims but each craft is submitted by a different person. SouleMama has a pattern for baby hats made from re-purposed t-shirts. Each craft also has a list of charitable organizations who accept and actively look for these items. It is a great book full of wonderful ideas so let me know if you want to borrow it!

Journeying

2010-10-29T12:53:00.000-04:00

So, I haven't written much about life at Matthew House yet and I think it is part due to the constant learning and flux that has filled our time here thus far. I'm coming to realize, however, that this is unlikely to change so I might as well start to document it. :)

We are still awaiting our insurance papers and so remain resident-less. This leaves us in the somewhat awkward position of having a very large home, two children, a lot of things that don't belong to us, and multiple well-known but not-yet-familiar volunteers who come by to help us. The awkward part is in the helping. You see, since we don't have others living here and have only had a few "events", the sticky juice spots they scrub off the kitchen floor, the pantry whose contents are falling out they are organizing, the cereal they are vacuuming off of the carpet is largely the mess of my family. It is a difficult thing to let other people, particularly those you respect and would love to impress, see the underbelly of your life. I have but a few friends I would feel comfortable letting see the toilet before I've scrubbed it.

I feel like I have been learning this same lesson of community-living for a few years. When Isaiah was born, it was the first time I really couldn't do things - like vacuum or lift the laundry basket, for six weeks. When my friend, Diana, would come over, she would do the dishes. Sometimes she'd wait until I went into the bathroom to start so we could avoid the "No, no, please sit down." "I don't mind doing them, really." conversation. It was the first time I had to learn how to let others help me. When you think about it, our parents have invested a great deal of time training us up to be independent, to do things for ourselves. We don't know how to ask for help and we feel we're imposing when we do. This is one of the lessons of living in community - letting others help. And it is a hard lesson. It is not easy to let others into the minutia of your life - but evenso, I think the rewards will outstrip the inconvenience by far.

Isaiah playing with his cars by flashlight under our bed

And so, I'm going to let Kim clean out and organize the cleaning supplies closet that I've been meaning to get to for a month, and I'm going to work on my own to-do list and remind myself that this, Matthew House as well as life, is a team effort.

This Moment

2010-10-29T10:15:00.000-04:00

11pm snack. Sometimes when the kids are sick and can't sleep, peanut butter sandwiches and warm milk is the best remedy.

Reasons Why Yarn is a Weapon

2010-10-27T23:24:00.000-04:00

Just when I was feeling a bit gloomy from being busy and discouraged and, let's face it, grumpy with my kids, I got this beautiful gem of a book in the mail from my friend Pam. I must have rubbed off on her during all those Sunday nights of board games with NHL200whatever in the background. I'm quite sure she would never have bought me book of horrific, scandalous and emasculating yarn catastrophes, complete with less-than-appropriate commentary. But she did, and I love her for it.

Oh, how I love that knitted helmet!

Now, I'm not sure I'm supposed to be posting pictures from this book, but it is all in praise of Stitchy McYarnpants and her work in uncovering these treasures from the past.

This is one of my favourite parts. It has long been discussed in yarny circles, this problem with knitting for our manly loved ones. After thumbing through this chapter I think Keith would happily wear anything I knit for him provided he never ended up looking like any of these chumps.

And onto my the most entertaining and perhaps most disturbing chapter on knitted toys. I have now seen enough terrifying clowns and babies in knitted unitards with gun holsters and cowboy hats. It has definitely made me rethink the toys I've thought of making for the kids.

Thank you, Pam for this fantastic book. Whenever I start to feel discouraged about my own knitting disasters it will be nice to have this little piece of perspective!

Quiet Time

2010-10-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

It is quiet time here. It is the time of day, right after lunch, when I put the kids in their room for sleep or quiet play and I come downstairs, make a cup of coffee and do - whatever. Some days it is cleaning or paperwork, answering emails or making food. Today I've opted for sitting on the floor of the office, over the register that is blowing blissful warm air on me. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and I used to sit over the register on those cold Wintery mornings with my knees bent and tucked inside my nightgown, trapping in the warmth, tucking my face in the neckhole so it would blow on my face.

Now my fingers are busy with knitting a hat to keep my ears warm on those Wintery mornings and the warm air is a comfort, as is the coffee and the mindless TV show I watch for company when the chaos has been tucked into bed for a time. Today is quiet time for Darcie, not wife or mama or any other hat I wear, just for Darcie :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-10-12T12:05:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite times of year; Thanksgiving. I wasn't cooking a turkey dinner this weekend since we're having a Fall Potluck for some of the refugee claimants we've been working with, but the kitchen at Matthew House was not idle :) We've made cinnamon buns and pumpkin pie, apple sauce and bread pudding. Quite a tasty weekend, if I do say so.

Keith's parents are here visiting, having made the drive to Ottawa yesterday afternoon. Today we drove to Perth for the Autumn Studio Tour. It is always neat to see where artists hone their craft, create, and display their work. We ordered a beautiful print on canvas by David Zimmerly. I can't wait to put it up in our room at Matthew House.

I hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

~this moment~

2010-10-08T16:42:00.000-04:00

My mom and Lucy in August 2009. I know this photo isn't from this past week, or even year, but I just got off the phone with my mom and I miss her and so do her grandkids.

Granola and Yogurt

2010-10-06T13:09:00.000-04:00

My favourite breakfast :) Ever since I worked in the kitchen at a Christian "behaviour modification" (aka boot) camp back in the Summer of 2001 I've loved having homemade granola and yogurt for breakfast. It was the meal I most enjoyed to prepare and it just felt so hearty to eat. Admittedly, after that summer it wasn't until I had kids that I tried to make it again from scratch. And until last week I had only made the yogurt from skim milk powder (since that's what we had to work with at the camp). But oh, how yummy yogurt is when made from milk :) Thank you, Soulemama for posting your recipe. So simple. My recipe for granola is Keith's mom's that I've tweaked with over time.

Yogurt - Soulemama

The amount of milk you use will roughly equal the amount of yogurt you make. If you'd like to make a quart of yogurt, you'll need a quart of milk. You'll also need some starter yogurt. You can use the leftovers from the previous week's yogurt or store-bought yogurt that has active bacterial cultures.

In a saucepan, heat your milk to 180 degrees F (I don't have a food thermometer so I heated it until it was just about boiling or scalded. You then cool the milk down to 110 degrees. You can do this more quickly by putting the saucepan in a bowl of cold water or in a sink of cold water (be careful not to get any in the saucepan). When the temperature reaches 110 degrees (or when you can put your finger in the milk comfortably), stir in your yogurt. Soulemama figures it is 1/4 cup per quart or 2 cups/gallon. You can then ladle the mixture into mason jars (be sure they are very clean). Don't put the lids on yet. Place your open jars in a cooler and wrap a towel or blanket around it and close the lid of the cooler. Incubate the yogurt for 7-10 hours at 110 degrees. When it has thickened, put it in the fridge (it will continue to thicken up a bit). There are lots and lots of ways to incubate your yogurt (in a gas oven with the pilot light, etc.) check out Soulemama's post for more ideas. You can eat your yogurt with some honey or maple syrup mixed in - or just plain.

Granola - I sometimes half the recipe depending on what the supply and demand is around here.

8 cups quick oats (not instant)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup oat bran
1 cup shredded coconut
chopped or slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, any other nut or seed you'd like to toss in.
2 cups water mixed with 2 cups oil
1/3 cup honey
In a large roasting pan mix together dry ingredients. Stir in oil mixture and honey until well coated. Bake uncovered in oven at 250 degrees F for 2 hours; stirring every 30 minutes. Add raisins and leave pan in oven while it is cooling down (this will plump up the raisins).

If you'd prefer, you can use 1/3 cup maple syrup or 2 cups brown sugar instead of honey to sweeten.

Add some fresh or frozen berries and you've got yourself one delicious and nutritious breakfast!

~this moment~

2010-10-01T09:16:00.000-04:00

Joining SouleMama and her followers in this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Kitchen and Crafty Goodness

2010-09-28T16:21:00.000-04:00

The kitchen at Matthew House has been a busy place even though we haven't been able to house any refugee claimants yet. I've been trying out some new recipes in hopes of incorporating them into the weekly menues. A special thanks to all of you who have sent your favourite recipes my way (Diana, that Kickin' Chicken was a big hit with the whole family!).

In addition to mealtime dishes, I decided to try my hand at canning jam and salsa as well. My dear friend, Heidi, came for a visit and we diced tomatoes and hot peppers until our fingers burned (and kept burning well into the evening). The jam was a modification of SouleMama's Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. I say modification because I had roughly twice as many strawberries, the right amount of rhubarb and not nearly enough sugar. I actually had to re-can it the following day after adding more sugar and pectin. The salsa I ended up re-canning as well. It didn't turn out as hot as we thought it would be since we seeded the peppers. I added some more red tomatoes, some red hot peppers and a few jalapenos (with their seeds) and a bit more of a secret ingredient along with cayenne. It is apparently very good and hot. I won't dare taste it, but Keith is quite pleased :)

I've also been on a bread-baking kick which has the family eating a lot more white bread than is healthy. We ran out of bread the other day and so I whipped up a batch of white bread, since we only had white flour in the house. Yesterday we started into the second loaf so I made another couple of large loaves along with a mini herb and cheese loaf and another cinnamon sugar loaf. Yum.

Raspberry Lemon loaf and Pumpkin loaf have also been churned out in the kitchen along with Sheila's Pudding - my favourite Jamie Oliver recipe. Seriously, with hot custard it is nirvana. We went Pumpkin picking on the weekend (material for another post) so next on my baking to-do list is making the Keither his pumpkin pie.

On the craftier side of things - I've had three sweaters, one leg warmer and a pair of mittens come of the needles in the last month (it took much longer to knit the sweaters). I've also completed the 3 pairs of Christmas Eve pajama bottoms for the kidlets and 5 log cabin squares for my mom's Christmas present. I'm working on a couple of things for baby shower gifts (both due around Christmas) as well. There has been a whole lot of crafty-goodness going on here!

In the midst of all of this though, I tend to get focussed and serious and my long-suffering husband gets a bit neglected because he isn't being wrapped up (or put into a reusable, homemade cloth Christmas bag..oh brother, somebody stop me!) and put under a tree in three months. He is quite understanding about all of this, but occasionally offers me gentle reminders about the importance of putting down the knitting and being silly with him from time to time. Maybe those cloth Christmas bags can wait until next year. :)

Wooly Readings...Book Review

2010-09-19T14:14:00.000-04:00

For all of you knitting mamas out there - here are two fantastic books to help teach your wee ones about where the beautiful wool you knit with comes from. I really enjoyed both of these books!

Feeding The Sheep

written by: Leda Schbert

pictures by: Andrea U'Ren

Synopsis: "Go from sheep-raising to sweater-making, with a mother and daughter who make a game of all the stages that lie between. From day to day, season to season, Mom is busy tending the family's small flock of sheep and then harvesting their wool to make yarn: shearing and washing, carding and spinning, dyeing and knitting. Every step of the way, her little girl is busy, too, questioning, teasing, and imitating. Filled with colour and coziness, Feeding the Sheep offers young knitters-to-be a fresh, fun look at husbandry and handicraft."

Amos's Sweater

written by: Janet Lunn

pictures by: Kim LaFave

Synopsis: "Amos was old and Amos was cold and Amos was tired of giving away all his wool." Amos is a sheep who tries very hard to avoid the inevitable shearing of his precious wool. When he sees his wool knit up into a sweater worn by Uncle Henry, he begins a campaign of violence against it, biting holes in it at every opportunity and even breaking out of the barn to pull it apart. It is an entertaining story that will leave you warm and cozy at the end, just like Amos.

I hope you can find these stories at your local library. They are well worth the read.

The Air is Turning

2010-09-03T15:21:00.000-04:00

Or so they tell me...I have been waiting out this heat wave, waiting for the bite in the air. Tomorrow, they say, it will turn. Tonight they predict a thunder storm. I've made some caramel corn as a thunder storm treat for the kids. When Keith was growing up, his mother used to pull the kids out of bed in the night if there was a thunder storm and have them stand at the window to watch. They all loved it. What a beautiful memory for them. I'm hoping to create some similar memories for my kids, be it a thunderstorm snack or a new holiday tradition.

Truthfully, Autumn is my favourite season. The only thing I don't like about it is that is so short. I loved the back to school buzz in the air at the start of September. I love long-sleeves and scarves and hats. I love roasting root vegetables and harvesting the garden (if only I had one of my own). I love knitting sweaters to keep my wee ones warm, and learning to sew so I can make them each a quilt of their own. I love the colour of the leaves as they change and the look of the bare branches as they fall. I love the deep breath of Autumn before bracing for Winter. But for now, it is 37 degrees, I'm making caramel popcorn and waiting for the turn.

August - In a Nutshell

2010-08-27T12:01:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure we've ever had a busier month than we have this August. We moved out of our apartment at the end of July and then spent a week with our churchmates at Camp Lutherlyn. We had such a great time with new friends and perhaps enjoyed it all the more since we knew it was likely the calm before the storm.

We arrived back in Ottawa to find that although our belongings were at Matthew House, the house itself was not quite ready for us to move in and we were still waiting for the occupancy permit to come through. This left us homeless for the next five nights but afforded us the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what it may be like for the refugee claimants we will soon meet. Fortunately, we had more than enough offers of accomodation to see us through!

We were in Matthew House for two nights before Keith's sister and future brother-in-law came to visit, as well as an old family friend. Then, sadly, we had to leave to attend the funeral for Keith's grandma back in Mitchell. Since we have been back, there has been plenty if unpacking, cleaning, painting (oh so much painting), and settling in. Of course, since we're hopefully within a month of opening, there have also been meetings and emails and lists and events!

However, in the midst of all of this, I have still managed to make Lucy a blanket, make some construction paper bugs with Isaiah and spend some time at the park, library, early years centre, and Valleyview Small Animal Farm. I've even made a bit of progress on the two sweaters I'm knitting.

I'm hopeful that over the next two weeks the kids will adjust to a new routine, Isaiah will regain the ground he's lost with potty-training, and we'll be able to do more of this.

My Kitchen Helper

2010-07-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

We've had a busy week in the kitchen! Packing things up to move has left me in a conundrum. I like to bake to procrastinate (which is not so good) but I also NEED to bake to use up some of my dry ingredients before the big day. And so - some days baking wins out over packing. Here are a few photos of the goodies we've been creating.

Miss Mae's Coffee Crisps from SouleMama

A wee taste :)

And this very yummy Perfect Berry Pie from The Knitty Gritty Homestead. I actually made this twice this week. But our apartment was so warm the second time I had to re-roll the pie crust dough a dozen times.

Above are some homemade granola bars from Rhythm of the Home. They are made with Almond butter and are chewy and delicious!

These caramel bars are my favourite. The recipe calls for walnuts, but I typically don't use them if I'm unsure of food allergies. The recipe is from allrecipes.com

I wish Lucy was eating in the kitchen in this picture. It would have been much easier to clean up.

Isaiah helping me make the Almond Butter Thumbprint cookies from Childhood Magic! We used Crab Apple Jelly in the middle.

Naturally, this is only one of the small messes that occurred while all of the baking was taking place :)

A Day at the Almonte Fair

2010-07-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

As we prepare for our big move to Matthew House, we're trying hard to make sure we still do some fun (and somewhat relaxing) activities with the kids. It can be easy to spend all of our spare time packing boxes, sorting clothes or, in my case - knitting :)

Isaiah and Lucy really enjoyed the cow competition. I was interested to learn what the judges were looking for in prize livestock. As it turns out, it is much like a beauty pageant; graceful movement, good posture, nice lines, symmetry, shapely figure.

Getting outside to enjoy the sunshine,eat ice cream and give the kids opportunity to run off some energy has helped the packing and preparation process seem less daunting. I hope we can keep this same sense of balance once the ministry work of Matthew House Ottawa begins in earnest.

This Moment

2010-07-16T07:35:00.000-04:00

this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

*** *** ***

Keith's New Kicks

2010-07-15T07:43:00.000-04:00

Well, they've arrived. Keith's new shoes. Shoes are one of the toughest things to buy ethically. It is not easy to find Fair Trade shoes or even ones manufactured in Canada. Keith has the widest feet I've ever seen and he finds buying shoes an arduous task. However, back in April we were at a handmade craft bizarre at Landsdowne Park and Keith met a cobbler from Quebec. After some deliberation, Keith decided to ask him to make some custom black dress shoes for him. He even got to help design them. They arrived yesterday, and we were not disappointed. These are some snazzy shoes. If you're interested in exploring a more ethical approach to clothing your feet, let us know and we'll pass along the contact information of our cobbler.

The Return

2010-07-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

I fully intended to blog our vacation while away these past three weeks, however my parents' computer is a bit older and I didn't have the right cords to upload pictures. Since I always find blogs more interesting when they have pictures, I figured I'd just wait. Here are some highlights from our trip!

Strawberry Picking

Birthday Parties

Breakfast for Two :)

Ice cream for three :)

Beaches

Big swings

Family visits (wink wink)

Precious moments

Curiosities

Amazing reunions

Peace

Comedy

Celebrations!

Relaxation

Community

Sharing

This Moment

2010-06-18T12:22:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Adventures in Sewing

2010-06-18T07:55:00.000-04:00

In November, my dear husband got me a sewing machine. It was supposed to be my Christmas present, but he forgot about it and bought me more presents. :)

Anyhow, This little baby quilt was my first project. I spent hours trying to get my machine to work properly - and consequently ripping out a lot of stitiches. Then Keith discovered I hadn't lowered the presser foot.

I did not grow up in a sewing household so slowly I'm learning how things work, what works best and what steps you cannot skip. Such as, washing your fabric first. Sorry baby Aiden.

This was my second undertaking - finishing the quilt I started 6 years ago before I moved to Ottawa.

There are some great tutorials online for pillowcase dresses. I tried out three different patterns on the dresses below.

My first attempt. It was too short in length for the width of the bottom. Not the fault of the pattern, but my eager scissors.

These second attempts and the third below were made simultaneously in a flurry of sewing ambition. These two print flowerly numbers actually serve as tank tops or tunics as the child grows. However, these may be shirts by the end of the summer since I still have trouble sewing and cutting a straight line and had to hem them a bit shorter.

This was a fun little dress to make and is a variation on the pillowcase dress. The tutorial I can't seem to find right now but I'll have another look around.

This large broadturn bag was a project out of Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule. www.soulemama.com. I really liked it so I halved all of the measurements and made a wee purse for Lucy.

Finally, our nearly-three-year-old will be moving into a toddler bed shortly and so I thought I'd try my hand at making bottom sheets. I love the fabric I used for this first one. The plan is to make a second in flannel for Winter.

Thanks for reading through my adventures in sewing!

Almost Vacation!

2010-06-17T08:41:00.000-04:00

"Three more sleeps until Nana and Papa come." I told Isaiah yesterday. For the past few days "Nana, Papa" have been some of the first words out of his mouth each morning. Our home goes from being a hive of packing and cleaning activity to being quite serene. Lately, I've been trying to crank out a bunch or projects for my family. Because my family lives so far away, I usually just hang on to birthday gifts until I see them next. This trip is no exception. I believe I am bringing 6 birthday gifts. Since I haven't given these gifts yet, I can't post pictures of them all here - but I think I can safely show you some of Isaiah's 3rd birthday gifts :) In addition to these mommy-made gifts - we bought him some rainbow blocks from Nova Natural Toys and Gifts. This is a wet-felted wool ball with a bell inside.

The idea for the travel pouch I got from this pattern for a gratitude wrap from Soulemama. I just made some modifications to the pockets.

These knitted pants were very near completion when I decided I wasn't going to like them as much as I wanted to. Then I saw this sweater Soulemama just completed for her little guy and started to frog the pants. This is the second time I've ripped out a nearly completed garment of this yarn. 3rd time is the charm, I hope. I don't know if I'll get it done in time for his July 1st birthday. Sometimes vacation means lots of knitting time and sometimes none at all - it seems to make my board games strategies suffer.

Quiet Mornings

2010-06-14T19:52:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks I have been getting up at 6:30am - a full hour before the kids begin to stir. I used to climb out of bed when I heard Isaiah calling me or Lucy crying and I spent the better part of the morning waiting for nap time when I could get a moment to myself. This new regime is one of the little changes I've tried in order to prepare for August. In August, we will be serving as a host family in a shelter for refugee claimants new to Canada. The position promises to be both challenging and rewarding - and I think this little ritual of rising early, drinking coffee, reading, and maybe knitting a few rows in the quiet dawn before attending to the the needs of the rest of the house will help me to better serve them.

Back from Hiatus!

2010-06-13T16:13:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I was feeling a little stagnant in my mothering day-to-day. My friend Natalie suggested I read her friend's blog. I never thought much about reading the blogs of people I have never met - but it has been a truly rewarding experience and breathed fresh and colourful life into my daily routine.

I am hoping use this blog as a family journal of sorts - a way of recording moments, memories, and the creative learning curve I have been on in recent weeks. Stay tuned :)

A "Legendary" Day

2009-10-29T11:43:00.002-04:00

Remember that scene in "I Am Legend" when the people are all panicking because they are trying to get off of Manhattan Island during the outbreak of zombie-people? Well, I was reminded of that today when the kids, my friend Natalie, and I went to get our H1N1 immunizations at the Walter Baker Sports Centre in Barrhaven.

We arrived at 12:45 - an hour and 45 minutes before the clinic even opened and after an hour in line were handed a numbered bracelet and asked to come back at 4:30. There were already over 1000 people in line ahead of us. They were quite professional and efficient about the process; making sure the line was moving well and didn't get bogged down by all of the strollers trying to manoeuvre around one another. This was by-far the highlight of the day. There were waiting areas available for people wanted to stay to wait, but they were not going to get in any sooner. Natalie lives just down the street so we went back to her house to give the kids some play time before returning to the centre around 3:45.

It was a zoo. Kids crying, people crowded into a corridor with little ventilation, breathing each others' warm moist air. *shudder*. Fortunately we avoided the corridor for about half of our wait time. The other half we tried to go down the the less crowded end where we could open an outside door. I had moments of panic when I saw the crowds and kids coughing and could imagine my wee ones breathing in the germs. But I was encouraged to see some very responsible parents teaching their kids to cough into their elbow, or don masks. I just tried to keep more than 1m away from anyone showing signs of illness.

As the afternoon wore on the officials seemed to come up with a more efficient way of batching the people. Instead of calling numbers in blocks of 200, they started to call them in blocks of 50. This at least made us feel better since the line moved more quickly and numbers were called more frequently.

We got vaccinated at 6:15pm.

It was an epic day - but I have learned how to brave the immunization clinics by picking up a few tips based on today.

1) Go early in the morning to get your ticket. The kids don't have to be there, just an adult who can say how many bracelets you need for your family. Be prepared to wait a hour or so.

2) Bring your spouse/a friend. It was great to have Natalie there. She was able to take Isaiah to see the pool or the hockey rink or to run down an empty hallway - away from the crowds. I was so proud - he didn't have a single meltdown despite all of the waiting. I was able to listen for numbers and keep Lucy covered up in her stroller.

3) Bring a stroller. Yes, they're big and cumbersome but you will do a lot of waiting and it is really nice to have a place to put your kid.

4) Go back to the clinic about an hour after they say to come back. If your number group has been called they will let you go to the front of the line so you don't have to worry about waiting until the end if you miss.

5) Do your paperwork while you wait in line - when you get to the screening nurse at the head of the line you get to skip the screening desk and go right to the immunization line. It was a welcome surprise.

6) Bring food - they did have a couple of refreshment carts going around but the food and drink was a bit pricey

7) If you have a cough, wear a mask. I really appreciated the people wearing them because they were sick. That being said, the paranoid mom in front me me wearing the mask, with her nanny in a mask and her 2 year-old in a mask, both kids under blankets in separate strollers made me feel alarmed and anxious. I understand caution - but fear mongering isn't healthy - especially in a confined space with a lot of people.

8) If you have a question -ask. The city officials there were very courteous and helpful, even when people were crowding around them or would get frustrated and angry.

I hope things have calmed down in a month when I have to take the kids back for their second dose. In the meantime - Good luck to you all. Let me know if you find any of these tips helpful on your vaccination day!

Three Days in London and the Trip Home

2008-05-20T07:32:00.001-04:00

Our first day in London almost began with disaster as at 8:55am we realized the breakfast ended at 9. As we raced downstairs, the breakfast guy was quite abrupt with us and offered us toast and cereal and coffee. We apologized, ate hurriedly and left. The rest of the day was quite fine. We took the tube to Picadilly Circus (which we thought was a market, but was actually a square a bit like Times Square in New York). Since there wasn't much to see, we began to walk toward Hyde Park. Along the way we happened upon Watermarks bookstore (the largest in the world) and spent some time browsing the titles. We also found a flyer for a Wallace and Gromit exhibit nearby. We checked it out, but the drawings were all around £150 to buy. We also came across a little market in a church yard. We ate lunch in Hyde's Park and took a tour of the Wellington Arch. We also went through Apsley House, the Manor House of the Duke of Wellington. It was pretty neat to see all of the paraphernalia given as gifts to the Duke by various Kings, Tzars, Dukes and other friends. The Duke was made famous in the battle of Waterloo where his soldiers defeated Napoleon. There is a giant statue of Napoleon at the base of the spiral staircase. Apparently, Napoleon rejected it , saying it was too athletic - done in the Greco-Roman style.

From here we walked over the Buckingham Palace, the Parliament Buildings and Westminster Abbey. The abbey was closed for the day but we took pictures of the rest. On our way to the Parliament Buildings we stopped in at the Winston Churchill and War Times Rooms Museum. This place was great. It was the actual headquarters for him and his administrators and generals during the second World War. Nearly everything was left just as it was after the war was over, and if it was altered - it was recreated for the exhibit. It was interesting to learn about Churchill, his life, and the war effort in England. It was a different feeling, being in a city that had been indiscriminately bombed and feared invasion at any moment by the Nazis. Hearing snippets of his speeches to Parliament and the people was pretty fantastic too.

After Parliament we took a walk down by the Thames, passed the London Eye. We grabbed a quick bite at the docks and some tea and began the walk home. As we wandered, we ended up in Trafalgar Square. This was a beautiful square that has the National Gallery, Nelson's Memorial, fountains and other statues and sculptures.

We caught the Tube not far from here and after we had got some snacks (and some to spare - since Keith was still recovering from the hunt in Paris) we headed home.

Our second day in London was a Saturday - market day - so we headed to Camden Market. It was awesome. Huge and sprawling this market area was our highlight in London. There was so much to look at and so many people, strange smells, cramped stalls that it really was sensation overload. After a bit of shopping we were looking for a bank machine (or cash point) and we came across a hemp store. Isaiah has fallen asleep so we must have spent over an hour in this store, trying things on and debating with ourselves. It was cheap and the clothes were well-made and sweatshop free. We pretty much bought new wardrobes here - but it was so fun! We actually had to buy a new backpack to carry it home. We even bough Isaiah a little hemp shirt and pants (not that he knew or cared).

We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant and found shelter as it had started to rain a bit. As we moved on and picked up a few more things it became apparent that I was not going to find any place to change Isaiah's smelly diaper and we both could use a break from carrying the bags - so we opted to stop at home for a few minutes. Isaiah loved this since he got out of his stroller for a few minutes, some food and got a fresh nappy. We loved it because we got to unload our burdens and rest our feet.

We took the tube down to London Bridge and walked across to the London Tower. We had planned on seeing it, but the ticket lady told us that we only had an hour and twenty minutes left to see it and they recommended two to three hours. These tickets were pretty expensive and we really wanted to see the whole tower, so we opted to eat some fish and chips and wait until the following day for the Tower. After our dinner we walked over the St. Paul's Cathedral, took some family photos in the drizzle, walked passed the Tate Modern Museum, the Millenium Bridge, Blackfriers bridge, and another statue of Queen Victoria before we went home.

The next morning was Sunday, and although Westminster was closed to visitors, it was open to worshippers so we attended Matins. Much of the service was sung by the choir but there was a brief sermon that was great, as you would expect. Unfortunately, Isaiah was very tired but not at all willing to sleep during the service and although Keith and I switched off walking and holding him, it was Keith who got stuck outside with Izer, trying to keep him from eating centuries-old dirt in the courtyard and missed much of the service. He was pretty disappointed. Although we couldn't take pictures, we did see the memorials of Shakespeare, Jane Austin, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, Handel, Shelley, Keats, and many others.

From here we caught the tour boat at Westminster Pier and headed down river to the Tower. The captain of the boat gave us an informative if un-official guided tour of the sights from the river. He was clever and funny and made it a great ride.

At the tower we got our lunch as Subway (yes Mom, I ate veggies from time to time) and entered the Tower of London. We picked up bits and pieces from the guided tours given by the Beefeaters going by and spent a couple of hours going in and out of the buildings, learning about who had lived there, where and how they tortured prisoners, who had been beheaded (how many strokes it took), and so forth. We caught a drama being acted out about the Duke of Monmouth. It was really well done - although grotesque at times (the axeman describing why it took 5 strokes and still he had to use his butcher's knife to finish the job).

I think my favourite part was learning where Lady Jane Gray had been kept, and Anne Boleyn as well. The engravings in Beauchamp tower were amazing to see as well. Here, prisoners had carved their names, crests, art, poetry, stories into the walls of their cells. It was haunting. So was the Chapel Royal. Here, the bodies of Anne Boleyn, Jane Gray, Catherine Howard and over 2000 others were found under the floor in 1876. In front of Chapel Royal was Scaffold Green. Here, the private executions were performed. The others were done on Tower Hill a little ways from the Tower itself. There was a little garden and plaque commemorating the spot.

People killed on Tower Hill had their heads taken to London Bridge and rammed on a spike as a public display of what happens to traitors. Their bodies were carried back to Chapel Royal and buried beneath the church. People beheaded inside the tower on Scaffold green were buried, body and head, in the chapel. The place really was filled with sad and tragic deaths. I was surprised to learn that Mary Queen of Scots was never kept in the Tower, but remained as far from London as possible. She was tried and executed at Fotheringhay Castle.

We finished here just before the warning bell sounded the closing of the gates. The Beefeaters live and work in the Tower, which we thought was pretty neat.

We ate fish and chips for dinner again and then walked to All Hallows Church (the oldest church in England). We also walked passed the memorial on Tower Green on our way to catch the Tube home. We had quite a bit of miracle packing to do before bed to get everything to Canada. I am pleased to say that we were successful! We had to leave some diapers and wipes behind but that's about it!

The following morning our cabbie was right on time and we arrived at Paddington in plenty of time to catch the Heathrow Connect back to the airport. The only sticky business was getting our oyster cards cashed in (these were what we used to pay for the subways - you got your unused money back). Once we had succeeded with that at Heathrow we quickly checked-in and were freed from our many bags.

The flight was interesting since it was an afternoon flight. Isaiah slept a fair bit, but was a bit wild the rest of the time! Fortunately there were a tonne of babies on board so he wasn't the only fussy one. It was a relief to know we didn't have to sleep on the plane as we did on the way there.

Praise the Lord, all of our luggage made it back to Canada we well. Meredith was waiting for us when we finally made it through customs and out into the Canadian air. We got most of our unpacking done when we got home last night and I started the laundry - ugh. Isaiah went to bed at 5:30 - which was about 10:30 to him. Keith and I followed at 8:00. I'm glad we didn't try to flip back to our time zone by staying up late last night because I got up with Isaiah today at 4am. I actually felt quite refreshed J

And so ends our epic adventure in Europe. Here are a few final remarks: Firstly, we almost never had sheets on our bed. Just a bottom sheet and a comforter. We thought that was weird. Second, I never saw another woman breasfeeding her baby. No once. I also thought this was odd. Third, we had two cloudy/rainy days in England. And finally, UK toilets are weird.

En Paris!

2008-05-20T07:31:00.001-04:00

We arrived at Paris Nord train station around 10:30am (with the time change). Our cab driver dropped us off in front of the Tuilleries Gardens near the Louvre. We passed by our hotel on the way so that was one less thing to try to find later. We found a shop where we could buy our hop-on-hop-off bus tickets as well as the Paris Museum and Monument Pass. It took some time to find the right bus stop for our tour bus, but we got to walk passed some of the Louvre buildings and took some pictures. Once on the bus, our first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral. This was a massive and impressive building. It was also very busy. I was getting grumpy because I needed some food, so we bought a baguette sandwich to share and went into the park behind the Cathedral to eat. Isaiah ate too. Then we took some family pictures with the Cathedral in the back ground. This involved Keith getting up and down from the ground a lot. Unfortunately, the ground was fine powdery sand that clung to everything it touched - so Keith might look a bit dirty in those ones. Paris was a bit weird, in that all of it's lovely green spaces were fenced off. No picnics to be had here. After we ate, we took a brief tour of the inside of the church. We didn't want to wait in line to go up the bell tower, but it would have been pretty cool to stair a gargoyle in the face.

Our next stop was the Arch of Triumph. This was commissioned by Napoleon back in the 1800's and was also massive and impressive. The engravings and carvings were beautiful and the lookout at the top was well worth the 46 stairs (after the elevator). From here we bussed over to the Eiffel Tower. Paris has a great deal of massive and impressive structures. The Eiffel tower baffled me a little, because I had no idea why it was built. The lines were huge here, and we felt like we had had a good enough view of the city from the Arch so after we had taken our pictures we went back to our hotel to check-in. By this time we were hot and sweaty and needed a rest. We were staying at Hotel du Louvre - which was a rather ritzy place just across from the Louvre. It was a treat to ourselves to stay here. They couldn't find our reservation because of a miscommunication with Eurostar (the company we booked this part of our trip through) - but after a few tense moments it was all sorted out (and we didn't have to pay again, which was a blessing).

We took a bit of time to get freshened up and then headed out to get some McDonalds. Some of you might think it's a shame to eat McDonalds when you're in Paris, but when you see the prices of food and know that this is only a small part of a big trip - you will likely come to the same conclusion we did. Anyways, while we were eating it started to pour outside - but fortunately stopped just as we were walking over to the Louvre.

The beauty of travelling with children comes when you are approaching the end of a very long line, and then some man in a vest waves you over to another door where you are ushered directly in and provided with an elevator. It really is fantastic. The Louvre was a bit difficult to navigate since it is so huge, but we managed to find almost all of the paintings and sculptures we wished to see. We saw the Mona Lisa (behind bullet proof glass and a crowd of people), and a few by David, we saw the headless statue in the stairwell. This one used to be on the prow of a ship in Greece or something - she was gorgeous.

We spend quite a bit of time wandering through the rooms, looking at the work that had gone into these paintings and sculptures. The great thing about the Louvre, was that it was the loudest gallery I had ever been inside. Most galleries are very quiet and hushed, but the volume of people alone, made this impossible. It was a great relief to me however, since Isaiah absolutely loves big rooms with vaulted ceilings. His voice echoes and he is almost never quiet when he's in one.

After the gift shops we began our most epic quest of the whole Paris trip - finding snacks. We hadn't eaten much during the day so Keith was really looking forward to finding a drink and some chips or a chocolate bar. It didn't help that we had a fully stocked minibar back in our room with tasty but fiercely overpriced goodies tempting us from inside. We walked for a couple of blocks and almost everything was closed. There was not a convenience store in sight. Just when we had given up all hope - we came across a Superette. Keith breathed a sigh of relief. We had found our snacks and went back to our hotel room. As we watched Scrubs from our king sized bed, eating our snacks, we let the luxury sink in.

The following morning we grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonalds and headed over to the Louvre to finish off our tour. This time we focussed on the sculptures and saw the Venus de Milo and another one of Psyche and Eros. We both loved this one. Although made of marble, it was so delicate and simply amazing to look at. From here, we raced back to our hotel in time for check-out.

Le Musee d'Orsay was our next stop. It was a short walk away from the Louvre and focussed on 19^th century art. The paintings housed here were truly impressive. They had rooms of Monet, Renoir and Degas. The highlight - or piece de resistance - was the Van Gogh room. They had just brilliant works by him. Keith took a video of it. The gift shop was fantastic too - because they had prints of our favourites available to buy.

We hopped back on the bus to the Opera House and ate lunch at McDonalds at LaFayette. LaFayette was a store we had no business being in. I didn't see a dress under $1500. McDonalds was the same though - and we ate next to some nice people from New Zealand. Not being high-end fashion shoppers - we soon moved on from this district and began the walk to the train station. It was a fun walk because the farther we went, the more "real" Paris seemed to get. We started to see supermarkets and bargain shopping. I found dresses for £20 (and bought one just outside of the train station). When we arrived at the station, we took a quick look around for where we had to go and then did a bit more exploring outside. We found a crepe stand and Keith had a lemon juice and sugar crepe and I had a banana and nutella one. Yum.

The ride home was uneventful but pleasant as we talked over the journey and all that we had seen. We arrived home after 11pm and were happy to learn that we had been given a room on the first floor and that our luggage had already been put in our room. It was a lovely flop into bed.

Oxford to Paris

2008-05-20T07:25:00.001-04:00

The following morning we packed up the car and all of the stuff inside the car that had been accumulating over the last two weeks, and went for a last walk down the Thames near the university. It was so peaceful and smelled so good. Along the river the boathouses for all of the different colleges were scattered. There was even one solo rower on the river. His coach was riding her bicycle along the path and videotaping him as he went along. This was the perfect way to end our time in this town steeped in history and tradition.

The rest of the day was spent in travel. First, we dropped off the car at Heathrow. This, for Keith, was the part he was most stressed about but it went really smoothly. No accidents, no wrong turns. Following this we took a shuttle back to the terminals and then bought our train tickets that would take us back into London. Heathrow Connect was a great way to get to Paddington Station without having to take a very very expensive cab ride or try to cram onto a regular train or subway car with a tonne of bags and a baby. At our destination station, we did some browsing in their many shops. I re-learned that Paddington bear was found at Paddington station in the story and that's how he got his name. From here we took a cab to our hotel.

Our cabbie was great. He told us about "the Knowledge" that all London cab drivers have to pass before they are permitted to be a licensed driver. According to Wikipedia, "it is the world's most demanding training course for taxicab-drivers; and applicants will usually need at least 12 'Appearances' (attempts at the final test), after preparation averaging 34 months, to pass the examination".

Anyways, it took some time (because it was the start of rush hour and they were repairing a water main on one of the major roads) but we arrived safe an sound at hour hotel. They said they didn't know we had a baby so they put us on the top floor. In England, the top floor doesn't mean the second, or even the third floor, but the fourth. It was arduous bringing all of our luggage up that far, only to have to bring it down the following morning at 5am.

After we got settled, we headed out to attend to a few matters of business. Firstly, we had to catch a train to Paris at 6 the next morning, so we had to find an alarm clock. Secondly, because we were leaving most of our luggage in a corridor at the hotel while we were in Paris, we wanted to buy a new bag that would keep a few of the smaller bags inside.

It was fun to get to know our neighbourhood as it were. St. Pancras (were our train was leaving from) was just down the road and right beside it was King's Cross station. Obviously I went inside to look at the station and I even tried to find the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 but I was without luck. However, after a lot of walking we were able to find both of our desired items - and for relatively good prices too.

Since we were getting up so early the following morning, we had an early night. It felt so good to crawl into bed after such a big day. When the alarm went off at 5am it only took a few minutes for us to be ready and out the door. The station was only a five minute walk away and since we had scoped out where we had to go the previous day it was a pretty stress-free morning. Well, except that I insisted that I get a coffee before we went through check-in, only to discover it was a full security check-in where they don't allow any open drinks. There goes my coffee. When we were cleared, Keith bought us some snacks before we boarded the train. It was such a blessing to leave our luggage at the hotel. We only had two back packs, my purse and the stroller. It was glorious - and we were on our way to Paris!

Oxford

2008-05-20T06:57:00.001-04:00

We were so keen to get moving today that we were downtown about an hour and a half before most places were even open. Since we had already scoped out the places we wanted to visit today, it made the day go very smoothly. 9am on a weekday is a wonderful time to see Oxford. There is almost no one about so it's much easier to take pictures of buildings without people in them. And it smells amazing. We wandered over cobbled walks until we came to a few open shops. Once we had purchased some Oxford paraphernalia we headed over to Christ Church for our first tour. This was a neat campus for me to visit since a few scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here like the Great Hall and the Great Staircase. Well, actually, the great hall was based on the Great Hall at Christ Church, except Hogwarts needed four tables and here there were only three. Not to mention the room is too small (but still huge and impressive) to work. The film crew came in and videoed the hall from every angle and then the set crew built a duplicate (with some modifications) in an airplane hangar or something like that. The other reason they couldn't film there is because it would have been far too disruptive to student life since the room is so well used. The staircase was the very same though. Christ church cathedral was impressive as well, as were the grounds. We talked to one of the stewards at the church for some time about the history and what was happening to the preachers during the Reformation. Apparently, many of the priests stayed on at their churches when Henry VIII split from the Catholic church. They also remained when Edward VI enforced his hyper-Protestantism and then switched back over to their Catholic services when Mary was on the throne, only to switch back over for the reign of Elizabeth I. The steward was saying that some fled to the Continent during this time of religious upheaval, but many stayed on with their parishioners to perform the ceremonies and rights and services. I thought that was pretty cool.

After the tour we spent some time in the Botanical Gardens. It was such a gorgeous day and we tried hard to take some family pictures with the spire from Magdalen College Cathedral in the background. They had all sorts of plants growing both outside and in green houses. It was a lot of fun for us - but I think Isaiah got the most enjoyment out of our time there. He got to crawl around on the grass, scorning his stroller.

We were pretty hungry by the time we finished with the gardens so we sat on a patch of grass and ate our tasty lunch of baguette sandwiches and ate dark millionaire shortbread. I will attempt to make this when I get home.

Our last big "to do" was the Bodleian Library. We weren't able to see any of the new library since it is exam time, but we were able to see a bit of the old library. Unfortunately, and much to Keith's chagrin, we weren't able to see any books. The Gutenberg Bible was housed just above us - but we weren't allowed!

A Lack of Updates!

2008-05-17T17:08:00.001-04:00

I had hoped I would update more frequently now that we have an internet connection here in London. Unfortunately, our days are so full that there is little time to write or reflect on what we've seen and done. We will be back in Canada on Monday so I will do my best to complete the updates in between loads of laundry and post them for you all!

Thanks for reading so far!
Darcie

Smart Brits: Past and Present

2008-05-11T17:23:00.002-04:00

With one large detour (not my fault) we arrived at Stonehenge around 10 this morning. With Isaiah in the snugli, I was actually able to listen to the audioguide for the exhibit and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was expecting Stonehenge to be over-rated and anti-climactic, but I was wrong. Although we couldn't get close enough to actually touch the stones, we were close enough to really get an idea of the size of the rocks, and the amazing feat of engineering and strength it would have taken to create the monument - not to mention the precision. We learned that it actually serves as a calendar, where each month the sun's rays shine through a different archway onto the altar stone. There is too much to write about what we learned here, so I'll wait until we return and just tell you about it then.

After we finished up there we were Oxford-bound. Keith has been waiting for this part of our trip with great anticipation. I don't think he's been at all disappointed. No wrong turns to the B&B this time, and they even had a room for us tonight as well as tomorrow. It really is lovely here. We are only about a half mile from the city centre, a nice flat walk. We did a great deal of walking through the downtown and Oxford University footpaths. We managed to get to the two major C.S. Lewis locations we hoped to see: The Eagle and Child Pub and Magdalen College.

The Pub is where he, J.R.R. Tokein, and some other great minds would meet to discuss their writing, thoughts and other issues over a pint. They called themselves the Inklings. We ate caramel chocolate chip ice cream in front of a framed tribute to Lewis and Tolkein. The College is where Lewis taught for a number of years. It was one of the only campuses open to the public. As with Cambridge, the campuses are mainly closed to visitors since it is exam time for students. The campus was just beautiful. The Church and buildings had faces and gargoyles carved into them, the archways were draped with lilac and ivy. The lawns in the quads were perfectly manicured. I could have stayed all day it smelled so good. We even attempted to stay for Evensong. Isaiah was a big wild, it being 6pm and him being corralled either in his car seat or his stroller for the entire day. We stayed for the first 2 of 3 parts and they decided it was time to go. The singing was - well, it was what you'd expect from Oxford.

One other stop that is worth mentioning is Blackwell's Bookshop. Wow - this place puts Chapters to shame. It was 3 levels of books, both rare and common. Keith said they had some great books in their philosophy and religion sections downstairs. He browsed down there while I wandered through the well-sized and stocked children's section.

It was wonderful to arrive home and play with Isaiah, put him to bed and have hot showers ourselves. Right now, Keith is watching TV (and has more than 1 channel to choose from) as I finish up this latest update that I will actually be able to post tonight. What an improvement over yesterday!

Stood Up in Bath

2008-05-11T17:23:00.001-04:00

We were on the road shortly after 8 this morning and were headed south to Bath. It was about a 5 hour drive away from Penrith, so we were anxious to get there as soon as we could. Our plan was to take get into Bath early enough to see all of the sights and shops before they closed around 5pm so we could move on to Oxford earlier than planned. I am happy to report that we succeeded. We skipped Stoke-on-Trent since we felt we had seen enough pottery at Wetherigg's so our stops were much shorter. We arrived just after 1pm and did it with only 1 wrong turn. Yay for the navigator (ahem, me.) There was no one at the B&B to receive us, but we were anxious to get to the city centre so we didn't think much about it. The walk downtown to the Roman Baths and Abbey was pleasant and steeply downhill. We knew this was likely going to finish us on the way home but with all of the chocolate bars and fish and chips we've been eating we knew it would do us good. We decided to see our priorities first so we made our way into the Cathedral. This massive house of worship was beautiful inside and out. Keith took quite a few pictures but he mentioned that in churches, some things aren't really meant to have their picture taken. Afternoon prayers took place while we were exploring the sanctuary so as sat in the pews as the priest lead us in a reading from John 3 and lead us in the Lord's Prayer and others. It was so wonderful to be in a church and praying in a city that is famous for its pagan gods and practices. It was refreshing.

The Roman Baths were next and were not disappointing. The exhibition was very informative and well done and they provided audioguides for everyone as well as had informative plaques throughout the exhibit. I felt the spring water (and later realized I wasn't supposed to) and it was hotter than I expected. The Roman Baths were built around this hot spring when it was found in the first century AD. It was thought to be sacred so there were many altars and statues to Minerva and others throughout. The smell of the ruins underground were stagnant and damp and musty - but we could still imagine the baths the way the recreations on the plaques illustrated.

The remainder of our afternoon was spent wandering around the shops, looking for a dress for me. All of the ladies in Bath were wearing skirts or dresses and looked so pretty. I was feeling a bit frumpy in my tank top and pants so I tried a few dresses on. No luck though. One of our last stops was at the Jane Austen Centre. Touring the house exhibit was a bit pricey but the gift shop was fantastic. I spent less than half the price of what our tickets would have cost. If we had had more time or I wasn't feeling so tired I would have liked to do the tour - but as it was, I was happy with my choice.

When we finished our seemingly never-ending uphill trek back to the B&B, we were a bit surprised to find there was still no one to let us inside. It was after 6 and I remembered telling our hostess we would be arriving sometime around suppertime. I made a quick call from the payphone across the street and left a message. The friendly neighbour came home and asked if he could bring us some tea or coffee as we waiting on her front lawn. As time went by, we started to brainstorm alternate plans. Around 7:45, Keith found a mobile number and left a message indicating that if no one arrived in the next 20 minutes we were moving on to Amesbury. Miraculously, just as I was buckling Isaiah into his car seat, a woman arrived at the B&B. Apparently, she was the owner's sister and was running the place while her sister was away in America. She had just stopped by to check on things before meeting a friend for a drink when she saw Keith waiting by the gate. It seems that there was no record of our arrival in the diary, but there was a room available for us and a cot for Izer. We were happy to accept. She even agreed to knot £8 off of the room price for our trouble. After we were settled and she left we got ready for bed. To our horror, there was no hot water in the shower. Not a great way to end the day. But we managed alright and went to bed clean and well.

Another Day of Rest

2008-05-11T17:22:00.001-04:00

Friday - our last full day at the resort. We had a restful lie in this morning, a duck-feeding session and some miniature golf this morning. Keith got quite a bit of work done on our pictures and I got our newly laundered clothes repacked. This afternoon we picked up a few supplies in Penrith and stopped for an early dinner at The Little Chef. Isaiah ate so much food but behaved himself very well. It was a relatively uneventful day but the perfect way to spend our final few hours in the Village.

Haggis Day

2008-05-11T17:21:00.003-04:00

We wanted to start out early today and we actually made it on the road by 7:45am. Thankfully, the route to Edinburgh was straight forward and I had little navigating to do until we were actually in the city. Isaiah had a strange sleep last night and I was up quite often with him and didn't get much sleep so I was able to do some catch up on the way.

Our first view of Edinburgh Castle was majestic. It is set up high on a cliff with shear walls and is visible from all directions. We found parking at the bottom of the cliff and started the long march upwards. We got our tickets and made it just in time for the beginning of a guided tour. Our tour guide was an older man, kilted, and had a great Scottish accent. He told us about each of the buildings in the castle: Saint Margaret's Chapel, The Royal Apartments (where Mary Queen of Scots lived, and gave birth to her son James), The Banquet Hall and so on. We saw the 6 canons Queen Victoria ordered be stationed on the outer wall and the field gun they fire every day at 1 o'clock. He explained that they fire the gun at 1 so that all of the ship captains and everyone in the castle can synchronize their time pieces. "Why not 12 noon?" he asked us. The rest of the world uses 12 noon but not the Scots. He explained that if they were to use noon, they would have to use 12 rounds of ammunition - and the Scots don't like to be wasteful - so 1 o'clock it is.

We also got to see Scotland's crown jewels. In 1993, Queen Elizabeth opened an exhibition that relates Scotland's rich history of kings and queens. In 1996, Her Majesty ordered that the Stone of Scone, or the Stone of Destiny be brought back to Scotland. For centuries it had been part of the throne for the Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. Apparently, this block of sandstone was used in the crowning of the first Scottish King. However, this Scottish relic must be returned to the throne in Westminster for the coronation of any King or Queen of the United Kingdom. It was a very neat piece of history we learned.

After we browsed the gift shop we spend the afternoon on the Royal Mile. We ate some lunch at an Italian restaurant called Bella Italia. I know, I know - Italian food in Scotland - Shame on us. But we did each try some haggis in the first shop we went in. We both though it tasted pretty good but weren't sure we wanted any more.

At the end of the Royal Mile is the Holyrood Palace. We didn't actually know about this place before we stumbled upon it, but it is in fact, the Queen's Royal Palace in Scotland. We perused the gift shop and thought about taking the tour, but it was a bit expensive. Instead we walked round the outside and took some pictures and leafed through the guide book.

After some pictures near the Parliament building and a meandering walk back to the Mile we stopped for some steamed milk at Starbucks and went back to the car. We both found Scotland and the Scots, for that matter, wilder than England. They are fiercely proud of their history and heritage - and for good reason. Edinburgh reminded me of Ottawa as far as cities go. I imagine London to be more like Toronto: skyscrapers, concrete, lots of cars and people and fashion.

We got back home shortly after 9pm. Isaiah was a monkey since he had been either in the stroller or car seat 95% of the day. After some play time and a bath, he went to sleep around 10:45. Keith and I followed shortly after - it had been a big day - a very good, exciting, and big day.

Laundry Day

2008-05-11T17:21:00.001-04:00

Today we're spending close to home base. There was some discussion early this morning about whether we could do most of our laundry in the bathtub or if we had to pay the money and do it in the washing machine. We decided to compromise. The really dirty clothes that would require scrubbing went into the washer and the others are now soaking in the bathtub. Keith just agitated them with the vacuum cleaner-wand. He's so very resourceful.

We spent part of the day feeding the ducks. There are at least 20 ducklings here and about 10 adult ducks. I love ducks. These ones are particularly friendly and many will come close enough to eat out of your hand. Isaiah also loves ducks. He likes to race the ducks for the bread we throw for them. He likes to try to pick up the duckings too. He's nearly succeeded a few times. It is very cute to watch.

Most of our laundry was done by dinner time and was either in the dryers across the way or hanging on our patio furniture. We decided to take advantage of the leisure facilities. My mom bought Isaiah some board shorts for our trip so we got all swim-suited up and headed for the pool. I've taken Izer swimming once before so he wasn't too weirded out by the experience. It was fantastic to watch he and Keith play together in the kiddie pool.

It felt so good to have a quiet day at home and to get the laundry done. Isaiah was so glad to have a day away from his stroller and car seat and just to play. The downtime also helped us get ready for our big trip to Scotland tomorrow.

Relics from Another Age

2008-05-11T17:20:00.001-04:00

We had a bit of a later start this morning, but we got to Carlisle around 11:30. We came to see the Castle and Cathedral and then move on to Birdoswald Roman Fort and Hadrien's Wall. Carlisle is way up near the Scottish border and was a key defensive position against invasions. It also served as a holding place for Mary Queen of Scots in the 1500's after her husband was murdered and she, being forced to abdicate her throne, sought asylum in England under the reign of her cousin Queen Elizabeth. Lizzy didn't quite know what to do with Mary since she was Catholic and had James, her son as her heir. Queen Elizabeth did not have an heir and there were still many Catholic sympathizers in England, so Mary was a considerable threat to her crown. As a result, she imprisioned Mary in Carlisle Castle for a time, and then moved her and her court of servants to a number of castles through the country as a means of deterring any plotting to rescue her, until she was finally moved to the Tower of London for almost 20 years before Elizabeth finally had her executed.

Another interesting part of the history of the Castle was when the Scottish heir, Bonny Prince Charlie lead a revolt trying to reclaim the English and Scottish throne for his father James III, who was forced out by William of Orange. Prince Charlie retreated back into Scotland and a garrison of his troops were forced into the dungeons at the castle and held there with no food or water. As the stones began to weep water, the soldiers would press their tongues against them for moisture. These "licking stones" were clearly visible, and very disturbing.

After we finished at the Castle and I bought a great book on Castles and Keith bought a trebuchet pencil sharpener we walked over to the Cathedral. It was neat to see the little church community on Abbey St. They had a little restaurant and shop alongside the beautiful cathedral. It was a busy place, which was great to see since a few of the churches we've visited have been desolate places, beautiful, but almost dead.

After a couple of wrong turns, we were on our way to the Roman Fort. Along the way we stopped in at Lanercroft Priory. This was a beautiful ruin of a Priory but the Chapel was still in use. At Birdoswald we listened to a brief history about the fort and the wall and then walked over the ruin and explored the outer walls where sheep grazed. It was a bit odd to see sheep wandering around in the middle of this relic from the first century AD. Hadrien's wall is only about waist high and one to three feet thick now, but it used to tower at 15 feet high and 3 or more feet thick. It also used to be nearly impenetrable due to the towers and milecastles, forts and patrols.

Getting so much accomplished in one day, we felt quite pleased with ourselves. It was a good thing Keith knew his way home because I couldn't keep my eyes open. He said I looked cute with my little head bobbing up and down.

Potter and Pottery

2008-05-11T17:19:00.001-04:00

We had planned to stay home and relax the following today - but when we woke up to bright sunshine and warm temperatures, we decided to strike while the iron was hot and head out for another full day.

Our first stop wasn't too far from where we're staying. Wetheriggs Craft Centre joins a bunch of artists and their wares under one roof. Visitors can come and walk through and watch the artists at work while browsing their shop. The shops we walked through were Pots and Pine and Romantic Ceramic (this was my favourite). The Centre also has an animal rescue centre and a newt pond. They also have the original beehive kiln which was massive. The place is steeped in history and it was a treat to get to read about some of it. We merely scratched the surface of the activities offered at the centre but I was pretty excited to get to see Peter Rabbit.

We arrived at Bowness-on-Windemere without much difficulty, but getting a parking space for the museum was like running a gauntlet. The museum was fun and really well done and through the eyes of a 7-year-old, would have been absolutely magical. They had scenes from the stories recreated throughout the tour and provided some info on Beatrix Potter, her life, her love of animals and the English countryside. Quite a few of her stories were written in picture letters to her nieces and nephews and many others were based on animals she kept on her little farm. She did in fact, have a Peter Rabbit, a Benjamin Bunny, a Jemima Puddleduck, and the two bad mice.

In order to maximize the use of our beautiful parking spot, we spent some time walking around the town, eating ice cream cones with Cadbury Flakes stuck in them, and eating fish and chips (yet again) down by the lake. Isaiah had fun sitting and playing on the grassy hillside, although it made sitting up a bit interesting because of the steep slope.

We took a different road home which was quite an adventure. We never got lost, but British roads are scary. Although they are supposedly wide enough for two cars, they really only fit about one and a half. The drive allowed us to see the beauty that is the Lake District, but the roads are winding and hilly and don't allow an inch on either side. This, however, does not seem to bother Brits one bit. They don't slow down at all for oncoming traffic and aren't concerned about blind corners or frightened tourists.

Fish & Chips, Famous Cars and Well-Trained Sheep

2008-05-11T17:18:00.001-04:00

After a leisurely morning and a frosted-flake breakfast, we headed for Keswick. This was a great little village with all sorts of neat shops. One was a Tea Pottery. They had piano teapots, car teapots, marmite teapots. Nearly anything you could want to make tea in - they had a teapot for it. The main attraction in Keswick, however, was the World Famous Motor Museum. We got to see a bunch of famous rides including the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard, K.I.T. from Nightrider, and the piece de resistance, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Keith bought a small model. It was a pretty cool place. After a fish and chips lunch (the best fish and chips we've had thus far), we decided to skip the Lakeland Pencil Museum (no joke) and headed down the road to the Lakeland Sheep and Wool Visitors Centre. I have never heard of anything like this before. After spending some time in the gift shop deciding what sheepish things to purchase, we took our seats and waited for the real show to begin. We were thrilled as one by one a sheep would appear from a doorway, and march up a podium and take his place while a lady told us information about what breed they were, where they were found, how long they've been in the UK and the various pros and cons of the breed. We also learned the difference between beef and dairy cows and watch a sheep dog herd huge white geese around the stage. One goose kept wiping out on the sawdust. At the end of the show we were able to go up on stage and pet the cows, sheep and dogs and a couple of little kids got to help bottle feed a lamb (who practically throttled the kids as they tried to pull against the lamb's suckling). Our favourite sheep was a Ryeland - who we nicknamed Muttonhead.

Whitehaven was our next destination - away to the west coast. It was raining when we got there and despite the weathershield over Isaiah, we were both cold and windswept by the time we left. Keith got some great shots of the ocean (which we hope will do it some justice). We were able to walk way out on to a pier where the lighthouse stood and took in the bay at low tide and the ocean crashing against the breakwall on the other. It was worth it, in spite of the wind and rain.

We retired to our lodge happy to be home, but feeling great about our busy and successful day.

Bicycles to Woolies

2008-05-11T17:17:00.001-04:00

The B&B in Thrisk was easier to find than we expected, eventhough I missed our exit off the highway and we came in through the back roads. It was so quaint. It was a low stone building covered in creeping ivy with a lovely country English garden with arbours and fountains. It was the type of house Thomas Kinkade would paint. The field across from the house was dotted with sheep and they had a brick stable with two horses. Sam, the black lab, met us at the gate. The room was spacious and the hosts were friendly and open. Isaiah was so happy to be out of his car seat and out of his stroller he didn't want to sit down at all. Fortunately, it was a relatively baby-proof room so he could crawl and pull himself up on whatever he wanted. I still managed to spill grape juice on the linen night table cloth. That's the third time Tide-to-Go has come in handy on our trip already. We curled up on the bed, watched a Scrubs episode and ate our dinner. Isaiah ate Cheerios.

In the morning we enjoyed yet another wonderfully prepared Full English Breakfast. For those of you unfamiliar with what this breakfast includes let me explain: 1 egg, either poached or fried over easy, toast (served in a toast rack), 1 fried tomato, baked beans, fried mushrooms, back bacon, and sausage. In Cambridge, Isaiah was so tired he slept right through out breakfast, but in Thirsk, he was wide awake and made eating a bit troublesome. After we packed up and took a quick walk through the garden, we headed off for the James Herriot Museum about 15 minutes away. This was the highlight of our trip for me so far. It was market day in Thirsk so the town was very hustle-bustle. The museum was fantastic. It is set in the original Skeldale House where James (Alf Wight) really came to work for Siegfried (Don Sinclair) and his brother Tristan (Brian Sinclair). It really helped us learn about the "real" James Herriot and his life, as well as the background to so many of his stories. The gift shop didn't have the sort of souveniers I had hoped it would, but we still found a few momentos to bring back home. We walked around their cobbled marketplace and I couldn't help but notice how different the items being sold were from those described by Herriot in the 1930's and 40's. I really wanted to see the china merchant, plying his teacups on the town ladies while Tristan's run-away pigs trotted passed. We bought out lunch at a little sandwich shop and found a bench to sit and eat right across from the church where James and Helen (or Alf and Joan) were married.

From Thirsk we were headed to Penrith in the Lake District. We took a small break at Barnard Castle. After navigating the city centre packed with people on market day, we were disappointed to see the castle was a ruin and the price of admission but we still enjoyed taking pictures of the outside and stretching our legs. We arrived at the resort around dinner time on Saturday. We love our little lodge. It has two floors and is self-catering which has worked out really well for us. After we brought in our luggage we drove into Penrith for groceries and spent a quiet evening at home.