In Praise of Easy Crafts

Crafting is one of my favourite pastimes: sewing, knitting, cutting up pieces of felt to make dumb dolls, you name it. When I'm stressed out though, sometimes the last thing I want to do is sit down and follow a whole whack of instructions to create something that might not turn out. Sometimes this is very cathartic, but there are times I just want the instant gratification of a construction paper and glitter glue craft. Here's where the the kid craft books come in (like The Jumbo Book of Easy Crafts from Kids Can Press). Egg carton caterpillars, glitter paper chain, POPSICLE STICK REINDEER! Bring it on! The bonus is that my six year old loves to join in and then we both feel better!

Music

Sometimes I forget about the simple pleasure of listening to music and really hearing the complexities of the melodies in the piece. To just sit and do nothing else but listen is really a very mindful act.

When I was younger it seemed to come naturally. I didn't have the multitude of distractions I do today, I was content to turn off the nattering part of my brain and just settle into the sound.

In my ongoing quest for mindfulness, I'm going to allot some time each day for fully enjoying some music.

Calm

I am no stranger to anxiety attacks and I always like to have a few calm-down techniques in my back pocket for when I get super frazzled. A few that work wonders for me on the worst of days are:

1. Meditation podcasts. Meditation Oasis is my favourite. Mary Maddux's wonderfully soothing voice  is perfect for washing away the relentless brain chatter that those of us with anxiety often experience.
2. Magic Bag Throw this thing in the micro for like 2 minutes and then place on your neck and shoulders for a while. Much like my dog's  Thunder Shirt the Magic Bag applies gentle warm pressure on your shoulders which is super calming.
3. Lately I've been pretty obsessed with the show Mighty B. Written and voiced by Amy Poehler, it's a riotous and ridiculous cartoon about a super nerdy and obsessive little girl. It never fails to make my six year old and I chuckle together on the couch.
4. Deep breathing and yoga stretching. Even a simple forward bend and heart opener stretch will reset my emotions.
5. Focus, focus, focus. A great piece of advice I received once was to wiggle my toes to bring myself back to reality and refocus my attention. I have a bad habit of drifting off and going into my head and not being in the moment.
6. Dance! Living room dance, car dance, chair dance, whatever! Here are some tunes that get me singing and dancing:
 I Know What I Am by Band of Skulls
Lovely Day by Bill Withers
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Care Bears on Fire
Around the Way Girl by LL Cool J
Jump by Van Halen
Talk to Me Dance with Me Hot Hot Heat
From Above by Ben Folds and Nick Hornby
You Wouldn't Understand by Nas
Me, Myself and I by De La Soul
L.A. Lights by Grum
Livin' it Up by Ja Rule
Sugalumps by Flight of the Conchords
Girl Talk by Justin Faust
Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Ain't Nobody Got Time for That by Sweet Brown
She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist by Lushlife
Hey Ladies by Beastie Boys
Funky Donkey by Beastie Boys

ok, ok, seriously, I could be here all day listing music I love. You get the picture.

7.When all else fails, a nice glass of bourbon or a bottle of Granville Island Winter Ale works as well.

Hey, list your tips for relaxation!

Check it out!

I'm featured today on The Thirties Grind as a REAL real Housewife of Vancouver ;)
http://thethirtiesgrind.com/2012/11/07/the-real-real-housewives-of-vancouver-janet-brisson/#more-1972

Late summer

It's always bittersweet when the crisp fall air nudges out the summer warmth. Every year about this time I get a feeling of nostalgia and a tiny bit of sadness. The pessimist part of me worries that we're back in it for the long haul of short grey rainy days and I didn't do enough summer stuff while I could. But the optimist side keeps dreaming of cozy fall sunny days, snuggling into knit sweaters and kicking leaves around. I'm trying to listen more to my happy optimist voice (she's much more pleasant).

Tiny play

My six year old daughter Teagan is truly one of the funniest people I know. She constantly amazes me with her curiosity and her quirky ideas for play. Lately she's been adopting new friends: leaves, rocks or tiny flowers and the occasional un-popped popcorn kernel and placing them in different situations.  Like the beds or doll chairs seen below, or providing them with little drawn menus for dinner. I had to sneak "Rocky" and her throne away from Teagan to take the picture as she made it very clear that Rocky had no interest in having her picture taken at all.

Rocky and her blanket

Rocky and her throne

Domo in the cave

Leafy and her Barbie dress blankie

Deliciousness

My friend Leanne brought this enticing jar of lemon curd to my place last weekend to have with our brunch crepes. One taste of this stuff and we were hooked. It's buttery and lemony with just the perfect amount of sweet. Absolutely perfect on hot crepes! I'll need to stock up next time I head south of the border.

My bike rides

My bike rides to and from work have become important times for me to be in the moment, present. I simply can't multitask, which for this iPhone attached girl is actually a welcome reprieve. . One of my routes takes me by the Purdy's chocolate factory. One whiff of the sugary sweet air makes me feel like Willy Wonka himself might actually be crafting some delicious chocolate treats inside! Depending on the weather, I might come across the smoky aroma of someone's backyard barbecue, or if it's just started raining I can pick up the earthy smell of the ground. I've also been tuning into the different bird songs I come across. Nothing nicer than being greeted on a morning bike ride by the bright trill of a feathered friend.

Jorts

Ok hipster dudes. We need to have a little talk about these things called jorts. They're not a good look. I get that there's the whole ironic thing going on and lord knows I love myself some irony and maybe one day in the (distant) future I'll find myself loving the jorts and buying a pair for Ed, but for now,let's just not wear these hideous things.

On my life to do list

One day I will: Visit a miniature horse farm, Hug the miniature horses, Visit Farm Sanctuary, Knit myself a sweater with really nice yarn, Take a writing course, Take a joinery course. What's on your life to do list?

OMG Moving is awful.
We just moved from our Port Moody condo into a rental house in Belcarra. Took us three days (so far) and we are still in the process of cleaning our condo to prepare to sell. Not sure why we thought that moving everything ourselves with no help would be a good idea, but it wasn't. We are exhausted, sore, cranky and so far slightly unappreciative of our new place (I may feel this more than Ed at this point). I hope this feeling will dissipate because the setting is lovely, close to the lake, quiet and roomy.
This post is mainly for documentation for both Ed and I to refer to in the (hopefully very) distant future for any moves we decide to do. HIRE MOVERS.
THAT IS ALL.

What I'm learning from saving money and how I'm actually enjoying being thrifty:
I can make interesting lunches and snacks
I started giggling today about how when I make snacks at work I feel like I'm camping or playing house. I have my tiny Tupperware container of butter, my compact click-together cutlery set and my Pokemon inspired plate on which I serve myself raisin toast.
My crafting and artwork is becoming more creative as I have more time to spend on it and I'm rummaging through the library to find art books that I normally would pass by in search of the newest, greatest thing.
I'm spending more time with my family. I'm home, not thinking about shopping, I'm finding great movies, playing fun games with Teagan, relaxing on the couch more and just generally less frantic.
All in all, I've come to settle into cutting back on expenses. I'm not seeing it as a threat so much as an opportunity.

Rainy weather

I woke up this morning with the attitude that the day will be depressing and dull as Mondays tend to be and the rain is continuing until who knows when.
Then I started thinking. What if I turn all of that negative thinking around and think of Monday as an opportunity to start the week fresh? Why can't rainy days with heavy cloud cover be considered a beautiful thing? When I watch my four year old get excited to break out her umbrella and pink rainboots at the first sign of a shower, I get reminded of when I was small and ran around in the forest behind our house stomping on wet moss, smelling the earthy scent of the dirt under my feet.

Podcasts
I have recently "discovered" the wonders of podcasts. Not sure what took me so long. I feel like a whole new world of entertainment has been offered to me. I don't run full tilt ahead into technologies unfamiliar to me. Instead I let everyone else in the world test them out and then I use their tips and reviews guide me. Silly I know. Really what it means is that now I've missed out on years of testing out cool stuff.
So far I've enjoyed a couple episodes from Comedy Death Ray. I ended up laughing my face off at work while I listened. As well, I've been learning a lot about American culture from This American Life.

End of Summer:
I love Fall, I really do. I love the way that the air just feels crisper, cleaner, and a bit more electric. I can't wait to pull on a snug cardigan, some cashmere blend socks and sit in front of the tv without feeling like I need to get out and do "summer stuff". Every Spring I think to myself, "Gosh, I have so many ideas for this summer" and most of those ideas get pushed to the wayside by the exhaustion that the heat induces in me or the fear that I may actually get skin cancer.

It was my first working at home day today, it was very hard to not be distracted by tv and eating all the food I could find. I even ended up taking a nap because it's hard to resist the comfy pillowtop mattress calling to me.
Ed and Teagan and I just finished watching the opening olympic ceremonies. Up until a week ago, I would not have envisioned myself watching it, I was against Vancouver hosting the olympics and still have many issues with it, but I figure that there is not much we can do about it now and seeing the amount of spirit and togetherness that comes with something this big is pretty awe inspiring.

Resurrection of a blog.
I've had the urge to write more lately, so here I am back at it. Posting Facebook status updates and Twitter "bits" is okay, but not so satisfying.
I am really looking forward to spring this year. We've had an amazingly mild winter thankfully, but seeing all of the little buds hanging out on the trees is making me really happy. I walked by one tree the other day and the way that the dew was sitting on the branches and the buds, it looked like the tree was filled with tiny Christmas bulbs.
I've been thinking about trying to be more grateful for the things I have and am able to do. Things like: I can go to yoga class and do my best at the poses, I can cook a mean macaroni and cheese and my kid is one of the funniest people I know!

I challenge you to tell me what you are grateful for!

Happy New Year!
We had a nice low-key New Years with Teagan...we ordered Pizza Hut (yum!!), played some Mario Kart on Gamecube and watched Miami Vice. Teagan didn't want to go to sleep until she rang in the new year, so she was up until after midnight-yikes, we'll get on a better sleep schedule soon. Here are my New Year's resolutions: Keep our house cleaner, keep our car cleaner, do more sewing and knitting and reading. I don't know, I don't want to be too rigid because I know I'll break all of these resolutions.

Bah. Snow.
I really love how beautiful the snow looks out my window, all whistler village like and bright, but I am getting bloody tired of being stuck at my house not able to drive my car. I just read in our local paper that the municipality has excess funds for snowplows and salters-then why the hell aren't they plowing our side streets for god's sake? Not only this but I am freaked out of other drivers fishtailing and roaring down the icy streets at 80 kms/hr. Maple Ridge is FILLED with trucks and SUV's and crazy drivers who think they are immortal.

I'm done now.

I've spent a nice evening deconstructing t-shirts and sewing a fleece baby blanket and finishing a pair of pajama pants. Woo hoo! I really needed to do this. There is something cathartic in pulling out the ol' sewing machine and just going to work on fabric with nary a care in the world. I almost reached the point of actually cutting out my dress pattern but I think I just feel like watching TV now. I'll post pictures soon.