The Colourful World of SillyCon

Endless Summer

2011-09-11T21:09:00.006-07:00

Westward

2011-07-22T20:02:00.007-07:00

Following the lead of Red Beet Mama here is our view to the west

Summer

Winter

How's the view with you?

all chicken all the time

2011-06-30T22:01:00.002-07:00

Never underestimate the power of a chicken

What I thought would be a nice backyard eggery, and education of food source

Has turned into the greatest pastime known to my kids

They are always working for those birds

Even ensuring there is a sufficient infrastructure

Who knew, that chickens could inspire soo much?

Bicycle Date for Two

2011-06-12T20:15:00.003-07:00

Great day... just me and my boy I felt like we were both 8 years old

We weren't the only ones with this bright idea today;)

Mayfest

2011-05-09T09:06:00.004-07:00

As we honoured our "Queen of May"

Like a giant acupuncture needle the maypole stands

(photo credit: Tall Tree)

Waiting to infuse the earth with the vitality of the children

Shop

2011-04-27T13:53:00.003-07:00

All weather peg bags...love these..

In the shop!

Good Earth Day

2011-04-22T15:29:00.008-07:00

As is slowly seeming to be the tradition, we did some planting of seeds this earth day.

We decided to do a little experiment, involving barefeet and breath

Since reading the Ringing Cedars of Russia series this winter,

HNH and I were eager to try Anastasia's seed planting technique

I'll let you know how it all turns out

That looked easy

2011-04-17T18:21:00.004-07:00

HNH read this blog post and said "wow, you're blog makes this whole chicken thing look easy, get a coop drive it over and put some chickens in it"

What I didn't post, out of laziness and lack of photos is: The whole point to my buying the coop was to save my Handsome not chicken loving Husband the bother of building one.... we had to dig out a hillside to level a spot for the coop, move our fence back, watch the precariously perched coop tumble down the hill and smash into the swingset

and be turned into a pile of nothing and a roof. Handsome not chicken loving Husband was not amused. I was blissfully unaware dead sick with a sinus infection zoned out on the couch. He lovingly put it back together piece by piece and then came in to tell me "the news".

He didn't think to snap a photo of the busted up coop, but I'm sure glad he put it back together....good thing I never made him build one...heehee.

He is also a big fan of the ladies (chickens) as it turns out...happy ending

chickens

2011-03-29T19:56:00.010-07:00

We finally go some!

{This Moment}

2011-02-11T19:34:00.002-08:00

Food Processing

2011-02-09T21:06:00.007-08:00

After some time I decided it was time to revisit a more traditional way of eating

I've had this book for many years and have always been too lazy to apply alot of the principles beyond the dairy suggestions.

All that soaking....groan

Crispy almonds and yoghurt...mmmmm

Chia, amaranth and mung beans

But after several years of a specific health challenge, and some visits to some health professionals (I'll go into that in another post).

I'm definitely becoming less lazy.

This Moment

2011-02-04T19:16:00.002-08:00

Birthday Hike

2011-02-01T14:19:00.005-08:00

Someone is 8!

When asked what he would like to do for his birthday, he announced....

A birthday hike.

With birthday cake atop the mountain

Spectacular weather and view!

Happy Birthday No!

{This Moment}

2011-01-21T11:32:00.004-08:00

Inspired by SouleMama {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

Baking with Uncle, so grateful for uncles

Full Moon Fever

2011-01-19T18:22:00.003-08:00

After seeing this on SouleMama's blog I needed an excuse to make the full moon into a bigger deal in our home.

So after some perusing in the wonderful land of blogs I came across this
and twisted her idea into our own.

"Washing the crystals" as Ni called it, in the light of the full moon

Etsy Kids

2011-01-17T19:33:00.003-08:00

Looky looky!

The Etsy Kids team magazine Modern Handmand Child Now has a blog!

This Moment

2011-01-14T17:47:00.005-08:00

For The Birds

2011-01-10T13:15:00.004-08:00

I started out this day with the intention of making bird food out of the leftover Christmas nuts

and as Ni and I patiently cracked all the remaining nuts, carefully trying to preserve shells (mostly walnut) for future craft projects it dawned on me.....why wouldn't I eat this perfectly good food?

So I made granola instead, my first attempt ever and it turned out pretty darn good!

Granola Recipe:

6 cups oatmeal (it says large flakes, I only had quick oats)
2 cups chopped nuts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
cinnamon to taste
pinch of salt

grease mixing bowl:
stir together dry ingredients
add honey and maple syrup
mix.

put on baking sheet
cook for 30-45 min
stirring occastionally

Add dried fruit after baking if desired

I also used the shells to make fire starters

Combined with dryer lint and bound with candle wax, each little egg section ins a fantastic start for a fire!

Sorry birds

Birthday Happy!

2010-12-29T17:35:00.003-08:00

Somebody turned 4!!

As seems to be "tradition" illness ran rampant through the land and there was a minor party

It was perfect

Ni finally got her own Bambo too, a trade I arranged with Christina a year ago...thank goodness I did, who knew these babies would be so hard to get your hands on!!

Mama, its stocking day!

2010-12-24T14:13:00.004-08:00

Christmas eve tradition

New pj's made by Mama....don't they look thrilled?

Happy Solstice

2010-12-21T21:43:00.004-08:00

Lighting the Sun Cake and making a wish

Burning the Yule Log

Sun Cake Ablaze!

My Girl's P.O.V.

2010-12-12T20:24:00.003-08:00

Just wanted to share a cute story...today when we were in the parking lot leaving the library Ni says to me

Ni: "Mama, why is there always pictures of a person sitting on a ball working on their computer?"
Me: "I don't know what you mean"
Ni: "The pictures, why is the person on a ball working on their computer?"
Me: "What do you mean, where did you see these picturess?"
Ni: "In the parking lot"

AH HA.....she was referring to the handicapped parking picture painted on the ground of the person in a wheel chair....I love the way she sees things!

She's right!

Mike on Canvas

2010-10-03T13:49:00.004-07:00

Now Papa has an art show

He knows he can't win anything.

You can see his work at Black Coffee...Whipple Tree Junction...for the island folks!

Art Show

2010-09-12T19:27:00.006-07:00

No (I) entered one of his drawings in the local exhibition

We didn't tell him there was a chance to "win" something

As far as he was concerned it was an "Art Show"

..and that's cool with me

He seemed to like the number 3 ribbon

...but still thinks it was an art show:)

SillyCon Bike

2010-09-04T19:57:00.003-07:00

My sweetie came bearing gifts today!

He said "Its so YOU....... its even SillyCon Green!"

As it happened Ni was wearing "SillyCon Orange" and I was wearing "SillyCon pink" so we really did fit in at the SillyCon tent.

I LOVE MY BIKE, thank yoiu handsome not husband:)

Tis the season

2010-08-22T14:54:00.004-07:00

Black Berry Season that is...

As you may have noticed (or not). I have been 100% neglecting blogwork and completely immersed myself in the joy of summer....aaaahhhh.

This is one of my all time favourite things about summer

Summer in the Garden

2010-07-19T22:44:00.003-07:00

Happy Accident

2010-07-11T17:32:00.006-07:00

I was going to meet my sister this morning and as it turned out, our rendezvous spot had been transformed into a kids festival!

There were 4 bouncy castles

pony rides

and all sorts of kid oriented activities, not only was it free, they even gave away drinks!

I love the small town feel of where I live, where do you ever see the train driving through a kids fairground? Seriously?

Market

2010-07-04T13:03:00.003-07:00

Had my first day at the market yesterday, it was fun and a smashing success!

Happy Canada D'eh

2010-07-01T10:08:00.002-07:00

Its July 1, birthday of our nation....and summer is still nowhere in sight!

Oh well Happy Canada Day!

Excitement of the Day

2010-06-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Bear in the yard!

Like Water for Popsicles

2010-06-17T18:59:00.005-07:00

I have just started reading "Simplicity Parenting" Using the Extraordinary Power of Less.....

Well, it seems I have already been unwittingly applying this principle

Since it is now officially summer vacation, I thought I'd make my kidlets some popsicles. I had some lovely mango lemonade. I had enough to fill 4 of the 6 popsicle molds. The other two I filled with water....guess which ones the kids prefer? WATER!

Look at that, extraordinarily simple and I didn't even know it!

Ecouture

2010-06-16T20:15:00.002-07:00

I think this designer Lika Volkova is my hero for the day, I love what she has to say about sustainable fashion....there is no such thing...

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She is brilliant

zen

2010-05-15T19:16:00.002-07:00

Wild Crafted

2010-05-03T11:59:00.006-07:00

Today we harvested stinging nettle from the neighbourhood and made delicious pesto and lasagne...mmmmm

Those little pink flowers are "native bleeding hearts" and are, incidentally the antidote to being stung...ie: pick and rub it on the sting. I've heard if your rough with the nettles they don't sting, its if you handle them gingerly or just brush up against them...thats when you get it

Its just like going to costco

Wash and cook very briefly to get rid of the sting

I love free healthy food.

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T11:01:00.007-07:00

Some of what we have been doing to honour the earth

Planting Lettuce

Hoe Hoe Hoe

Listening to the mason bee cocoons for signs of life

Mason bee just coming out in the lower left part of the house

Enjoy the earth!

Cosy Creativity

2010-04-08T20:24:00.002-07:00

Check out this brilliant ad

and how it was made

8th Gen

2010-04-07T15:12:00.004-07:00

The genius of Louie Gong

Laugh

2010-03-22T12:11:00.001-07:00

These guys do it for me everytime

Inheritance

2010-03-12T18:20:00.006-08:00

It has been exactly 6 months since my Mama passed away so suddenly...right down to the hour (coincidentally).
I am grateful to have inherited her skill with fabric and needle. Her resourcefulness with what is now referred to as "upcycling"...it may be cool now, but I was mortified in grade 8 sewing when instead of buying new fabric, she made me rip apart a skirt and re-make that into a shirt. Oh the shame, it was the 80's the most consumptive decade in our history...re-use something...unheard of!

My Mama sewing (she was a twin, I'm not actually sure which one is her...heehee)

Most recently I have acquired her school books for pattern drafting and design, from the 1940's no less

Look, this is the SillyCon pop-over pattern!

I am so thrilled to have inherited her cherished sewing machine, the one my big sister taught me to sew on when I was 8 years old (she totally denies having taught me).

It is gorgeous, sturdy, practical and reliable just like my Mama was, I sure miss her.

Best Shopping List

2010-03-09T13:22:00.002-08:00

I was at my friends awhile back and couldn't resist taking a photo of this.

Not bad for a kid who lives in an English household but goes to Francophone school.

I bet you can read it...once you get beyond my out of focus photo

Over Packaged

2010-03-01T10:57:00.006-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled I am able to buy organic oranges at a reasonable price in the middle of winter in Canada......

But, what's the deal with packaging these days?? I can recall while living in England in the late 80's early 90's being completely thrown by the fact they sold their apples on styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic, and that even a turnip was wrapped in plastic, what?! What is with "our" Addiction to Plastic?

I have been buying these lovely organic oranges, me and my family love them...but my mind can't get around the seeming disconnect in values. To my mind an organic food producer has consideration for the environment and therefore packaging, non?

All I can see when I look at this stuff is strangled birds at the landfill, there is no way to recycle this, it is manufactured garbage.

Whenever I see organic food wrapped in plastic, encased in a clamshell or some other form of plastic food packaging...I just wonder...there has got be a better way.

I'm thinking of sending that orange packaging back to the company, so they can deal with it...maybe with a nice little note attached..."Love your oranges, but not your packaging, xoxoSillyCon"

Olympic Hoser

2010-02-25T11:47:00.008-08:00

I'm sorry....I have been completely ignoring this blog so I can pay more attention to the Olympics!

I havn't been interested in the Olympics for a very long time...I have been hit hard with the fever now that it is right in my back yard.

Vancouver has become a fun and friendly city! (I love the wide berth people give this guy)

Zip Lining over Robson Square...its only a 5 hour wait, but its free!

Canadian Love

It's hard to see, but that wooden shoe has a blade on it....the original speed skate!

The medals are one of a kind original pieces of art, no two medals are alike, and they are wavy to represent the B.C. landscape... I love that!

Ahh and the caged flame, you can hardly tell it is imprisoned in this shot!

And HNH placed 4th in the Handmade Olympics....how Canadian Eh?

Handmade Olympics

2010-02-09T20:15:00.005-08:00

Who knew there were handmade olympics?? Not I.

HNH got a message that someone nominated his wooden toy sewing machine.... so if you feel so inclined you can go here to vote for him!

The Age of Reason

2010-01-30T16:46:00.006-08:00

My boy turned 7 today...... so happy are we.

Six was really really challenging.

My 7 year old opted out of a birthday party and wanted to take a family field trip to the museum instead...now that's reasonable!

Score!

2010-01-23T20:26:00.004-08:00

I just had to share this sweet score....$8!!!!!!!!!!

I know, it smacks slightly of Vancouver 2010, but its handmade, 100% wool and cosy as heck

Well Done

2010-01-22T16:30:00.003-08:00

Congratulations to Christina at Bamboletta for raising$10, 000.00 for Haiti through her raffle with money going to Doctors without Borders or Medicin Sans Frontiers as its called here in Canada. Also congratulations to all the donors and two lucky winners of Holly and Hailey.

If you like that kind of way of donating, you can enter this contest and enter to win a keepsake box!

Hailey and Holly for Haiti

2010-01-17T20:43:00.008-08:00

Want to combine your love for human kind with your love for Bamboletta Dolls?

Christina (heart of gold that one) at Bamboletta is raffling off two dolls "Hailey" and "Holly" to raise funds to help Haiti. All proceeds will go to Doctors without Borders, and the Canadian government will match whatever she raises!!!!!

Included in her giveaway is $100 gift certificate to Reggies store, Reggie makes all of Christina's clothes...(except for the ones that I make)

and...you will also get a selection of SillyCon items as well.

Go here to enter.

Tickets are $10 and raffle closes on Wednesday you can enter as many times as you like, each $10 donated counts for one ticket!

What would the world do without people like Christina?

I Heart Walnuts

2010-01-14T13:31:00.002-08:00

New Day, New Year

2010-01-01T11:49:00.008-08:00

This is a photo of yesterday's sunrise bright and early at 8:04 am...yes we average about 8 (but it feels like 6) hours of rainy daylight this time of year.

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions...well its always the same one: Enter more contests, but I don't really even manage to keep that one!

I did consider doing The Compact, which is a group committed to buying nothing new, with exceptions ie: underwear.....but I feel like I've been doing this for the last decade or so...I think I've done my part. Since this has been my way of operating for most of my adult life, I decided that this year I would actually treat myself to something new and fabulous...these! HNH is cheering me on, even as I protest the cost "but that's like months of good meat!".

Given that I started this post on January 1 and am finishing it on January 8....may be a clue that I'm not likely to keep any resolution at this point...boots are in the mail and I can't wait!!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T08:37:00.008-08:00

Our holiday week...

Christmas gifts

Family

Birthday...Ni turned three (do you like the hillbilly with the half eaten cake look?)

And much needed rest

It has been a wonderful and exhausting week, with Ni being sick for the majority of it...you wouldn't know from the photos though!

Solstice

2009-12-21T09:51:00.008-08:00

Happy Winter Solstice to my northern friends (and summer solstice to my southern friends...that means you Moeder Kip). I can't help but wonder how it all works in the southern hemisphere, with Christmas in the summer...up here in the north advent is about turning inward with the short days and lack of light....how is it approached down under? I've even been to Australia for Christmas but was a much younger me and wasn't observing such things back then.

I love that the winter solstice and advent is about turning inward and this presents a perfect oppourtunity for making Christmas gifts

Today I'm spending the day crafting with the family..making these ridiculously easy bath scrubs, (if you are choosing to use salt instead of sugar, please know that the cheapest place to get epsom salts is at animal feed stores) and painting....

..... I am not one of those mums that can handle the mess with alot of crafting (I know I'm not alone on this), so this is a rare special treat, this also worked out to be a nice calm acitvity that both my feverish children quietly (can you imagine?) enjoyed.

Enjoy your solstice, wherever you may be.

Lovely Winter Music

2009-12-19T20:09:00.003-08:00

One of the Mum's at our No's school played the harp for the Advent Spiral Celebration, she has a lovely voice.

Since playing Advent Spiral has become the activity of choice for "Ni". This Mum has become her "idol". She can listen to this CD all day long, she pretends to play the harp with my guitar......This woman is pretty much "Ni's" Hannah Montana.....

Maybe she's the waldorf equivalent:)

Snow Day!

2009-12-15T10:10:00.008-08:00

Good times...

for kids...

and parents

Sinterklaas Dag

2009-12-07T20:24:00.012-08:00

Being a gal of Dutch heritage I like to keep the dutch traditions going for my little people. Last night was Sinterklaas Avond (St Nicholas Birthday Evening), and the children polished their Klompen (dutch wooden shoes) and left treats for Sinterklaas' white horse. We have been listening to Sinterklaas Liedjes (songs) for weeks now, (even HNH is singing them in pigeon dutch).

Sinterklaas is the the dutch version of St. Nicolas. He lives in Spain (no one seems to know why) and comes by steamboat with his white horse and helper Zwarte Piet.

If you were a good little boy or girl, you would get funny dutch treats in your shoe, like pepernooten and drop (these would only be considered a treat to people with dutch blood in their veins, normal people think they are weird..hehe)

If you weren't a good little boy or girl..there are lots of rumours of what happens....Zwarte Piet would put you in a bag and take you back to Spain....and make you into candy!!!!!!!!!!!??????

It is a big time holiday in the Netherlands, and it is not just for kids, adults give gifts of poetry or whatnot meant to embarrass the recipient!!!

Nice culture hey? I don't include all the traditions and would like to keep to the sweetness of it like this mum.

What are some of your family traditions, they certainly can't be more embarrassing than mine!

Advent?

2009-12-06T20:57:00.007-08:00

Being raised Catholic I can vaguely remember the words Advent and Lent being dropped at significant holiday times. The only thing I knew for sure was that chocolate was involved with both, eating and abstaining, but I could never remember which was which....anyway here we are in the second week of Advent and I am thrilled to be rediscovering it thanks to "No's" school and their annual Advent Spiral celebration.

First week celebrates the Mineral Kingdom
Second week celebrates the Plant Kingdom
Third week celebrates the Animal Kingdom
Fourth week celebrates ...the Child of Light, or Human Kingdom

The Advent Spiral really affected NoNi, they made their own, dimmed the lights and walked the spiral in the light of the full moon, and well.... my heart swelled.

Lighting the "candles" (Martha at the centre of it all, hehehe)

New...AND exciting

2009-11-26T19:27:00.005-08:00

We often catch NoNi in HNH's shop rocking out on a piece of 2x4 singing their lungs out....

With a little prompting from a friend (thanks T), these will be under the tree for our wee guitar hereoes!

Rock ON!

What Up?

2009-11-13T14:37:00.005-08:00

Some of what I've been up to

Elf Coats in...

Eco - felt

Wool felt

Sumptuous velvet

Kimono's

Tutus

There is no way I could EVER keep up with the demand for Bamboletta clothes, but here is a small attempt

Family Field Trip

2009-11-10T19:23:00.002-08:00

We had a lovely visit here today.

Discovering things from our local Salish Sea

A Gnome and ......Crazy Steve

2009-10-31T20:07:00.007-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Tree House

2009-10-22T15:28:00.004-07:00

Waaaay back in July me and my sister and cousin, refashioned our shed into a tree house...

I said I would show you the tree house when finished.

Tofographer

2009-10-15T18:52:00.005-07:00

Today was photo day at school

Tonight was "photo day" at home

The proud "Tofographer" and his portraits.

It always amazes me to see the imagination at work!

My Parents Were Awesome...

2009-10-10T18:17:00.007-07:00

These are my parents..

On the house boat my Dad built.

My Parents Were Awesome....so are yours, go check it out

The Great Potato

2009-10-10T09:29:00.004-07:00

Potato the great entertainer...

Russet, Bintje and Red

They peeled the old skin off with their fingers to reveal the new red skin beneath.

Dinner was good:)

Farm Folk/City Folk Heroes

2009-10-09T19:20:00.005-07:00

An homage to 27 farms and sustainable city growers...

Amen

Mmmasala Milk

2009-10-06T20:26:00.005-07:00

Warm Milk
Ground Cardamom
Almond Extract
Agave Syrup

Mmmmmmm

Spider Season

2009-09-26T10:20:00.007-07:00

Spider season is back upon us

This is such a random way to get back to this badly neglected blog...but wasn't sure where to start.

Thank you all for your warm thoughts and kind words to me during and after my experience with my Mum, it has meant a great deal to me.

Having Fun Never Gets Old

2009-08-29T20:02:00.004-07:00

Transition

2009-08-26T13:10:00.003-07:00

I've been away..

Holding my Mama's hand while she transitioned from this Life to the next, and us kids transitioned from children to elders.

It was beautiful and painful and I'm grateful all 6 of my Mum's children and her grown grandchildren were there to send her off.

I will continue to be away for a little while longer.

D.I.Y

2009-08-08T13:26:00.013-07:00

I want to know how to do everything, I want to like how it looks, and I'm usually working within a tight budget. My film background has been an excellent training ground for D.I.Y. but I'm pretty sure I suffered from D.I.Y.ism long before I became a costumer. Alot of the fun is doing research and I love to order books at the library via the internet..sometimes you don't know what you're going to get...

Who doesn't want to sew and cook at the same time?

Carpet in the bathroom..to prevent "looking too sterile"

Built in deep fryer.. a must have. Pre foodsafe design...just slap that raw chicken down on the counter!

But I digress. We recently completed a major D.I.Y. and I wanted to share the before and after:

There was once a major disconnect between the house and the backyard. It was so isolating to be back there..not anymore! It was well within our budget too at less than $500 (the doors were $1.00 each!!?)

My sister and I refurbished the shed into a treefort (I'll show you in a later post)

The next D.I.Y on my mind is the kitchen...you can help! It's not that bad really...and it does'nt cost anything to dream.

Irony

2009-08-06T15:38:00.005-07:00

We have just come off a nice little heat wave here...some days were +35C (sorry Americans, not sure what that translates to)

This sprinkler soaked sign informed us of the water restrictions...some people really think the water supply is endless!?

Modern Handmade Child

2009-08-05T21:16:00.006-07:00

The Etsy Kids Team (of which I am a member) has a new magazine!

Thanks to Etsy Kids founder and team leader Shannon, the first issue of Modern Handmade Child is here! Now all the latest etsy kid gear can be found in one place I'm so excited!

New and Newer

2009-07-29T11:26:00.006-07:00

A few new things...

Available here and here!

Ukulele Girlfriend

2009-07-27T12:22:00.013-07:00

I was a ukulele superstar long long ago (oh ya, played festivals and cut a christmas album on VINYL!!)...I was 9, ...Anyhow, I have recently regained interest in playing again and came upon this...my ukulele girlfriend (as HNH calls her). If only I had her talent...

I love her...a super quirky songstress, ukulele hero all dressed with lyrical wizardry and wrapped in a sandwich...she is... Danielle ate the Sandwich very catchy..check it!

Pippi Love

2009-07-24T23:17:00.008-07:00

I came cross this nice little vignette today..of my girlhood idol and inspiration..( shop banner)

She is just my type of gal, silly, sassy and non-sensical.

I have infected "No" with my love for her too (we have just finished reading the entire Pippi series)

Can you spy the pop-over inspiration?

Enjoy!!

Motivation

2009-07-21T14:22:00.014-07:00

I had been fed up with diapers and bodily functions for quite a while. My cloth diapers have been through two kids and were on their last leg (or bum). The stale scent of pee seemed to permeate the air, I didn't want to wash another load of diapers, or buy another pack of pull ups....I was done. I know many a Mum wax nostalgia for the last days of their youngest being a baby..."not I" said Con...done and done..diapers be gone.

We had been feebly attempting jelly bean bribes but quick study that she is...she would not accept the fact that I couldn't give her a candy unless a deposit was made "get Papa to open it" or " use a cloth" she would say as if I was just too wimpy to get the jar open. She stubborn..... me frustrated..until....I came up with"the potty fairies". I explained to my wee lass, that only the potty fairies could open the jar...it was beyond my control. She accepted this, but still lacked motivation and I wasn't sure what would happen when the jelly beans ran out...I couldn't keep her jacked up on jelly beans forever!

She really wanted a bike and my sister arrived right on time with this belated birthday gift...we strung it up above the toilet during the night, there was a card. Can you imagine? It was from the potty fairies! They explained to her that whenever she made a deposit in the toilet, she would get a jellybean and when all the jelly beans were gone the potty fairies would fly out of the jar and release the bike from the wall.

As you can see, she is now a very proud owner of that bike and no longer requires a diaper..at all... even at night..seriously!! It only took about 7 days (thats about 2-3 years less than it took with No).

I would like to credit the potty fairies (when in doubt pass the buck to a fairy) and Lora Jensen and her 3 day potty training e-book, it took longer than 3 days...but less than 3 years!

What motivates you?

Satin Doll

2009-07-13T13:19:00.006-07:00

Thank you to Local Colorist, for including me in her lovely Duke Ellington, Satin Doll Treasury.

Here is a close up...

as usual great photo by Tall Tree Photography

Summer production

2009-07-05T10:21:00.006-07:00

I have been a super slack blogger since summer has kicked in...(due, in part to my dying computer)..oops. In addition to the steady stream of visitors we seem to have, this is what I have been up to.

More pop-overs...finally

These are still one of my favourite items mostly we use them as a body bib at meal time, but they are great for "sink work" and art too!

Bunting

Tutu's

I always feel slightly torn when making these things...as they are essentially plastic fabrics used...but I just can't get over the practicality of the wear n'wipe nature of it..not to mention the glorious colour!!!

My intention is to do at least one market this summer, but with every guest we host, I seem to sell something, so most of this is already gone!...I'm not complaining though

Happy Canada Day

2009-07-01T19:10:00.006-07:00

Some Silly Canuck Trivia for you... I wish I had prepared a better post for today. (but I'm a bit of a slacker blogger lately) I truly am a huge fan of Canada and Canadiana, I LOVE living here!

1. Smarties...Canadian

2. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp...Canadian

3. The size of our footballs fields, one less down, and bigger balls.

4. Baseball is Canadian - First game June 4, 1838 - Ingersoll , ON

5. Lacrosse is Canadian

6. Hockey is Canadian

7. Basketball is Canadian

8. Apple pie is Canadian

9. Mr. Dress-up beats Mr. Rogers

10. We have more ships in the B.C. Ferries Fleet than in the Canadian Navy

11. In the war of 1812, started by America , Canadians pushed the Americans back past their White House. Then we burned it, and most of Washington . We got bored because they ran away. Then, we came home and partied........ Go figure.

12. Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany .

13. We have the largest English population that never ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere. EVER. (We got clobbered in the odd battle but prevailed in ALL the wars)

14. Our civil war was fought in a bar and lasted a little over an hour.

15. The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary- he slept in and missed the whole thing. He showed up just in time to get caught.

16. A Canadian invented Standard Time.

17. The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the world's oldest company.

18.The population of Canada is the same as the Population of California

19. We invented ski-doos, jet-skis, Velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis and the telephone. Also short wave radios that save countless lives each year.

20. We ALL have frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it.

21. A Canadian invented Superman.

22. We have coloured money.

23. Our beer advertisements kick ass {Incidently...so does our beer}

BUT MOST IMPORTANT !

The handles on our beer cases are big enough to fit your hands with mitts on.

OOOoohhhhh.... Canada !!

Oh yeah... And our elections only take one day.

On my bedside

2009-06-21T20:56:00.005-07:00

Summer reading:

I LOVE reading and have a bad habit of becoming overzealous about one subject and requesting everybook available from the library....then my bedside looks like this.

Aside from the many treehouse books in the stack (upcoming summer project!) My two favourites, by the same author are:

The 3 season diet, solving the mysteries of food cravings, weight loss and excercise, by John Douillard.

Eating seasonally can prevent illness...I didn't know that?!

and

Perfect Health for Kids, 10 Ayurvedic Health Secrests Every Parent Must Know,
also by Dr John Douillard

From this I learned the magic of Turmeric and the importance of taking your childs pulse on a regular basis...really, really interesting and informative.

Enjoy your summer reading

Home

2009-06-13T20:35:00.006-07:00

If you havn't heard of this...you have until tomorrow to watch it for free on youtube.

"HOME is an ode to the planet's beauty and its delicate harmony. Through the landscapes of 54 countries captured from above, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes us on an unique journey all around the planet, to contemplate it and to understand it. But HOME is more than a documentary with a message, it is a magnificent movie in its own right. Every breathtaking shot shows the Earth - our Earth - as we have never seen it before. Every image shows the Earth's treasures we are destroying and all the wonders we can still preserve. "From the sky, there's less need for explanations". Our vision becomes more immediate, intuitive and emotional. HOME has an impact on anyone who sees it. It awakens in us the awareness that is needed to change the way we see the world. (HOME embraces the major ecological issues that confront us and shows how everything on our planet is interconnected.)"

Synopsis
In 200,000 years on Earth, humanity has upset the balance of the planet, established by nearly four billion years of evolution. The price to pay is high, but it is too late to be a pessimist: humanity has barely ten years to reverse the trend, become aware of the full extent of its spoliation of the Earth's riches and change its patterns of consumption.

"A People's Project
By bringing us unique footage from the Earth and sharing with us his wonder and his concern, Yann Arthus-Bertrand lays a foundation stone for the world that, together, we must rebuild. The film HOME intends to shift people's perceptions, to make us aware of the tectonic movements at work and to incite us to act."

"We have a greater impact on the Earth than it can bear. We over-consume and are depleting the Earth's resources. From the air, it is easy to see the Earth's wounds. HOME simply sets out our current situation, while saying that a solution exists. The film's subtitle could be "It's Too Late To Be A Pessimist". We have reached a crossroads; important decisions must be taken to change our world. Everybody knows about what the film says, but nobody wants to believe it. So HOME adds its weight to the argument of environmental organizations that we need a common sense approach to change our consumerist way of life."

This is copied from an email I received from Guy Dauncey's eco-news

Check out the movie, it is beautiful and will inspire you to act.

Adventure Day

2009-06-08T19:32:00.011-07:00

"Where are we going Mama?"

"We're going on an adventure!"

We headed to a neighbouring island

Just me and "No"

With his good buddy

And my good buddy...his buddy's Mama (Lucky me)

Good Company

Good Day

Special Break

2009-06-08T14:06:00.010-07:00

Special...all the little things I get to make and design for the dolls

Super Hero - super fun to get this one together...very customised.

Hospital gown - heart breaking

Pirate - Delightful!

Break...

I have decided to take a hiatus from sewing. Even without consultation to the magic-8-Ball...all signs pointed to "yes". My sweet Janome/Porshe has been making a mess of things and I pulled out the old clunky Singer/Volkswagen...well that machine had the exact same problem..sure it could be me, but I think the universe is just trying to get the point across. The machine is in for repair and I get to play catch up on all the neglected things..sort the piles of fabric..taxes..beauty regime.

eScaping the heat

2009-06-02T21:58:00.002-07:00

Sprinkler

and Siesta

June

2009-06-01T16:30:00.008-07:00

Planting the Placenta

2009-05-27T09:58:00.010-07:00

If you are the queasy type, skip this post and consider yourself warned...

After almost 2 1/2 years of residing in a yoghurt container waaaay in the back of the freezer (and always mistaking it for some possible long forgotten homemade tomato sauce..ewww) we finally did it...

planted the placenta!!!

There is alot you can do with a placenta, we chose to plant.

I have been wanting to do this for a very long time and have heard stories of power outages/broken freezers and the result of a thawed out placenta...not good.

I had some conditions:

I wanted to own the land we were planting on.
I wanted it to be a special day, I meant to do this on mothers day/ birthday but didn't get to it.
I wanted the right plant to put on top of it.

My brother gave us a flowering lilac bush/tree, which is one of my favourites and also provide lovely and inviting habitat for the fairies.

With two out of my 3 conditions met, we just went for it:

Fresh

In storage

Frozen

Back to nourish the earth

In goes the lilac

Yay, we did it! Hopefully that will be one happy birth tree

Celebrity Baby

2009-05-25T08:14:00.010-07:00

Happy Monday Friends!

HNH and I woke up to a lovely review on Celebrity Baby Blog....

Thanks to our generous friend Christina at Bamboletta.

Included in that review is super talent Ella and her Little Red Caboose Matchy Wool Felt Crowns and photo credit goes to Devon(the eye) of Tall Tree Photography who captures the essence of it all.

What a great way to start the week!

Sunny Saturday

2009-05-23T22:46:00.005-07:00

Finally!!

The wisdom of boy "No"

2009-05-20T21:51:00.007-07:00

I just returned from the last parent night of my "No's" waldorf kindergarten.

One of his teachers called me over as I was leaving to tell me of this little nugget...

As they were clearing the table together he told her:

"everyday is the best day......everyday is my favourite day".

If only everyone felt that way!

Wearable Art

2009-05-20T11:57:00.010-07:00

Congratulations to my incredibly talented friend Angela Bright, who has for the second time won "Best in Show at the "Wearable Art Awards".

"Let Them Drink Tea" is made from used coffee filters and tea bags(check out the tea cups on that wig!!) and won "People's Choice" and "Best in Show" in 2007. It is now travelling to New Zealand for "WOW, World of Wearable Art"

"(news)Paper Doll" is made from newspapers, re-used ribbon and crystals and won "Best in Show" for 2009. photo by Morgan Hirtle

Angela is a costumer designer, graphic artist (she did my etsy banner and avatar), chihuahua loving lady with no shortage of talent, education and ideas! Check out more on her process and photos here.

Yay Ang, woot woot!!!

Bike Park Poster Boy

2009-05-16T15:43:00.006-07:00

A new bike park has opened up in the hood...a certain little boy can't get enough....

He likes to watch the big boys, and loves to hear them call him and his bike "sic", (or maybe its me that likes it).

Give 'er

"Look Ma, no pedals!"

Or brakes!!! yikes!!!

Hot Tip or Old News?

2009-05-13T13:51:00.008-07:00

You may already do this..Old News

Or you may not...Hot tip.

If you like to bake..hang onto the foil your butter comes in and keep it in the freezer.

There is usually butter left on the foil after you unwrap it.

When it comes time to grease a pan all you need to do is get out the old butter foil and rub it on
(I know you're not supposed to grease teflon pans, this is purely for demonstration purposes)

Easy peasy

What is AT?

2009-05-10T14:02:00.008-07:00

For those that don't know, Mike (aka HNH) makes awesome wooden toy sewing machines. He sells them on etsy and bamboletta. Over the last few days his sales have picked up, convo's increased and "etsy hearts" have skyrocketed.

"wow, maybe someone has blogged about the machine" says Mike.

Then someone congratulated him on being profiled on AT. Not being well versed in the language of texting shorcuts (Mike thought LOL mean Lord oh Lord) we turned to each other and said "what is AT?"

Well we soon found out.

His machines were featured on the APARTMENT THERAPY,OHDEEDOH blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apartment Therapy is one of the hippest design and lifestyle blog's out there..their tag line is "saving the world one room at a time"

They even mentioned "the wife's" shop which I consider to be a serious big deal, even if it was on HNH's ride...weeeeeeee!!

Soap..for your teeth?

2009-05-06T17:39:00.020-07:00

My latest new (and very geeky) obsession has been the discovery of Tooth Soap.

Yes, soap for your teeth, really.

I've been singing about it to anyone who will listen.....(to the tune of that old Turtles commercial).

Tooth soap has changed my mouth. I first learned about it on a natural mothering blog and was intrigued. I clicked on the link and was directed to a somewhat tacky, late night shopping channel "as seen on TV" type web page. I was skeptical. But the site had some intriguing reading material and being the information junkie that I am (not fake information like the "news", but left field, cutting edge, I could be considered a flake, information) I had to know more.

I've been using tooth soap for three weeks now, I LOVE IT! Ever since the first brushing, my teeth no longer feel like they have a toothpaste coating, they even feel clean after meals and when I wake up!!! I still have morning breath I'm sure, but the mung mouth is gone!

The little booklet that comes with it is packed full of amazing information, alot of which is based on the research of Weston A. Price...if you like "Nourishing Traditions" you will most likely like the reading list provided on the site.

I bought boring old spearmint as I (and probaly most of the toothbrushing world) associate this with a fresh, clean mouth. They do have other flavours great for kids, like chocolate fudge or fruit punch... if you have kids that think spearmint is "spicy" like mine do.

Just after brushing there is a vague soap taste that I quite like... reminiscent of Thrills Gum

I just need bias tape

2009-05-05T11:13:00.009-07:00

I had to run out to get bias tape for a long unfinished matching kimono set...it still sits unbound..no bias tape.

So I came home with a new stash of the cutest flannelette instead! 50% off!! How could I not?

I smell a rat close by

2009-05-05T10:36:00.009-07:00

Another, not so pleasant surprise about country living has been rats! When I first encountered one scurrying out of the compost, it sent me screaming with compost pail flying back to the house. I'm much less of wimp now.

Our solution for dealing with them has been to set live traps and re-locate them

They're not so bad once they're in a cage, but they still get a one way ticket out of my yard!

Work

2009-05-04T21:09:00.013-07:00

I doubt many have noticed, but I'm starting to feel really guilty about my lack of SillyCon production, both in my shop and on this blog. The longer between my posts, the harder it is to do it..you know like going to the gym (not that I have ever had a "gym" regime)

Both HNH and myself are work at home parents for the most part and keeping our children safely entertained while working has become more and more of a challenge..

Yes... those are scissors (but they are so lame they fold more than cut

Anyway, I'm about to do some time at my other work and will be away from SillyCon shop and blog just a little longer

Market Publique

2009-04-25T16:13:00.010-07:00

Being a lover of thrift store and vintage shopping....I have fallen in LOVE!

I have discovered Market Publique

On online market place

Dedicated to vintage sellers

Sweet!

Some other excellent vintage sources are

The Factory Vintage
V for Vintage
Fashion Junk
Hat Feathers Vintage
Posh Girl Vintage

I'm sure they're are many more!

Down to Earth Day

2009-04-22T10:17:00.011-07:00

I have been a huge participant of the eco/green/sustainable living movement for a very long time. After recieving this book from my then boyfriend in 1991 I started making my own cloth grocery and bulk bags. I can remember having arguments with store clerks about my not wanting to take a bag, and the clerks trying to force a bag on me (weird). I have carried my own re-useable water bottle and traveller (thermal tea mug) for just as long and always looked forward to the annual "peace march" on earth day (I don't think they call it that anymore)since I was still in highschool, we're talking the 1980's people!
Me and then boyfriend would "get a rush" out of taking stuff to the recycling depot it was like an eco-date..ha!

One of the all time best discoveries I made back when I was a "zealot" was on a trip to California to a fantastic store called "Real Goods", A sink that sits on the back of your toilet and circulates the tank water through the sink before it is used to flush your waste...encourages hand washing and saves water. I didn't buy that awesome toilet sink, but I did buy my solar/dynamo radio/flashlight which I still have and has travelled in the back window across Canada twice, and still sits on my kitchen window sill to this day.

This is one of my current "favourite finds", a toothbrush that has replaceable bristle heads, so instead of throwing the whole toothbrush away, you can just replace the bristles! Clever and made by Eco-Dent in Germany.

If you are not a sewer, you can buy these fantastic organic reusable bulk bags with a window here. They even come with a little spot to write down the bulk bin code and a reuseable grease pencil, and for me they are practically local, coming from just across the water in Sequim, Washington.

I'm so happy to see that after 20 years the paradigm has shifted and here we are celebrating earth day on a global scale with big participants making changes. Yay for Ikea getting rid of their one time use plastic bags, and yay for the guy who has decided to ditch disposable razors!

Lets try to remember that missing fourth "R"..Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Re-cycle and get down to earth every day!

Whooping it up!!

2009-04-19T14:52:00.004-07:00

Today I'm whooping it up for Bamboletta! Congratulations to Christina for finding the time and strength to launch her new website while in the midst of whooping cough lock down...you truly are an amazing woman!

I have been lucky enough to be added to the new Bamboletta store, with my own little section even!! So I can safely say that a large part of my lacklustre blogging and having hardly anything in the shop is due to prepping for Christina's store and being in my own little whooping cough world.

Heres to good health