Friday, October 24, 2008

notes of encouragement

dear sewing machine,
i know i have been rather neglectful to you...and i am sorry.
it's true, you could really use a proper oiling...a good dusting...and an overall physical by the sewing doctor.
and i p-r-o-m-i-s-e to do all of the above if you will just see me through this one last project.
i know i don't really know what i am doing...and this frustrates you...and sometimes i say not-so-nice words to you...and that hurts your feelings...
BUT please sewing machine, if you can just help me complete this god forsaken monkey costume i will forever give you the attention you so dearly deserve.
xo



dear small ball of stash yarn,
how delighted i was to find you at the bottom of my stash bin! your perfect colour and texture made me squeal with delight. you my treasure, are just the ticket to complete one pair of monkey ears...i think.
you see, you are quite a small ball of yarn. okay, very small. and i need rather big monkey ears. and i am hoping..begging that you can stretch your fibers to give me just the right amount. i know you can do it...i have faith in you tiny ball.
xo

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

sigh

what does one do on a freezing cold-blustery-could-snow-at-any-minute kind of day?

bake a whole bunch of cookies...eat said cookies
and stare out the window of one's fort reflecting on the warm sunny weather of days gone by...

Friday, October 17, 2008

as said by...hugh

every morning when i open the curtains to hugh's room...rain or shine...
hugh says,
"oh my, what a beautiful day".
and no matter the weather condition...it's hard not to agree with him...he just makes it feel...well, beautiful.

yesterday he told me it was time he had another haircut.
"yes" he said {very seriously}, "my hair is bending and it's time to cut it...now."
and so we set off for the barber to help cure hugh's hair of the dreaded 'bends'.

and while every day he certainly brings us delight in his observations of the world...i would have to admit my favourite talks are when we are walking the trail...through the old grove...looking for slugs and sticks. there is something about the great outdoors that will really make a guy open up...
"mommy, do you see that tree?"
"that tree?"
"no, that one."
"oh, that one?"
"no, that one...over there"
"there?"
"no, there?"
"yes...i think i see it"
"i love that tree...but it can't talk."

as said by...hugh.




Wednesday, October 15, 2008

just before the rain


what's better than jumping in leaves?
riding in them...

Monday, October 13, 2008

happy thanksgiving worlsey!

worsley!
happy thanksgiving!

we are truly thankful for you...and of course mr. m & mr. l.

and geez-oh-pete!
come home already...
we miss you.
xo albert & hugh

Friday, October 10, 2008

pumpkin

this afternoon we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch...
where hugh fell in love...
from across the field he spied one perfectly 2lb pumpkin...ran to it...swooped it off the cold grass...and proclaimed his love to it. he carried it carefully around the patch...stopping every now and then to snuggle.
what a lucky pumpkin!

we rushed home to carve our pumpkins...not hugh's of course because well, that would be cruel. david's pumpkin turned out dreamy and rather frenchy (thanks to the moustache). my pumpkin turned out...not so great. it kind of reminds me of my passport photo. one eye slightly bigger and a little crossed. a crooked smile. and a tiny strange nose.

speaking of strange noses...
while in the grocery store tonight...waiting for david to check-out...hugh started to grab my face. he stuck his little thumbs up my nose and in his only one volume..10 decimal voice...
he said {yelled}, "mommy, what is in your nose????".
"oh" i blushed, "boogers?"
"no, no mommy. i don't know. it kinda look like cobwebs!"

well, at least he's in the holiday spirit...

Thursday, October 9, 2008

happy dance.

this is our happy dance.
hugh loves to run in wack-a-dog circles as fast as he can until he nearly goes flying off our bed like a drunken sailor... and every once in awhile when life is really feeling grand... i will join him.
and we call it our, "happy dance".
we are happy because i am now oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-ficially out of my 1 st trimester. {good bye mr. pukies!}
we are happy because it's october...and my birthday is coming up!
we are happy because hugh brushed his teeth today.
we are happy because dairy queen has launched it's pumpkin pie blizzard {seriously, that makes us really happy}

and we are happy because sometimes it just feels good to be happy!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

new baby + toddler + absent spouse = chaos


Hello, it's been a while hasn't it? Well the dust is finally settling around here, (kind of), and life with two young ones and a husband working away has become the new normal. Finally, I've had a chance to sit down and plan some pieces for the upcoming winter. Above is a sneak peak at a finishing technique I'm using. More to come in the coming weeks!

xo

worsley

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

happy birthday

we've been waiting such a long time for you.
and we're so happy you are here.
way to go mama worsley!!!

Friday, August 15, 2008

a poodle

this evening while hugh and i buried our feet in the freshly tilled sand at the park, we were suddenly stormed by a giant runaway dog. remembering it now, i would almost swear to you that i first felt the ground rumble before i saw the enormous poodle barrelling in our direction. with only the type of quickness that is born the second one becomes a parent...i scooped hugh out of the sandpit...wrapped every one of my limbs around him and prepared for impact. to my shock...the dog cut to the side missing us by a hair. before i could even make sense...he came at us again...and whoosh...the same maneuver as before...missed us. i tried to look for an escape...but as i turned my head all i could make out was a blurry curly creature flying in the air with only one landing pad in mind...my back. but alas, he missed. as i opened my dry mouth to scold him...and before any words screeched out...i heard, "weeeheeee! do it again! do it again! hahhahahaha!".

i looked in my arms and saw pure delight coming from every part of hugh's body.
i looked at the poodle only to see the very same pure delight.
the only sound i managed to eek out was, "oh".

the rest of the evening was spent playing a new game called, runaway pup. it goes something like this: "mommy, you stand there." followed by hugh running at top speed toward my legs and at the last second sparing me impact by leaping to one side with a dramatic fall to the ground...ending in fits of laughter.

well, i had planned on wrapping up this post with some sort of clever quip about learning from animals...or something about animal vs. child instinct....or something about something.
but i'm not that clever...and to be quite frank, i'm still getting over the embarrassment of letting a goofy old poodle nearly get the best of me.



Sunday, August 10, 2008

cottage

fishing poles made from wagon ride finds...

determination to catch a fish with a walnut tied to twine...

and soothing any disappointed feelings of no catches...not even a nibble by soaking in the sink while eating fingernails of bugles.
yes, those are the days we so love at the cottage.

Monday, August 4, 2008

baby love




A few heirloom pieces that I am just loving. Why can't all baby clothes be this sweet?

xo worsley

Saturday, August 2, 2008

no thrills on this blueberry hill

me: "hugh, would you like to go pick blueberries? it will be so much fun! and blueberries are your favourite! isn't this such a clever idea?
he: "grandaddy's favourite colour is blue"
me:
"uh. okay. so anyway, lets go for a car ride and celebrate this plentiful blueberry season!"
my silent thoughts in the car:
"gosh. i'm such a good mummy. showing my dear boy the wonderful world of growth and harvest. this is going to be awesome. i can't wait to see his little blueberry stained teeth...i can't wait to hear his laughs of outdoor adventure fun. let's get there already!

arrive at the farm.

me: look hugh! look at all the blueberries. hold on to this bucket and let's fill it up!!!!!!!!!
he:
no.
me: oh. hey...follow me. i'll show you. this is going to be great. blueberries are your favourite! c'mon let's go stain your teeth!!!
he: no like blueberries. no. i do not like them. i do not. mommy, play on tractor. MOMMY. I WANT TO PLAY ON TRACTOR! MOOOMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY.

me: okay. ...there's always next year.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

sticks and scones

"ahh scones, sounds like dirt...tastes like stones." cleverly declared by my husband for as long as i have known him. i quite like scones...even the stone variety. but he's a bit harder to convince...that is until today...by-golly i think i've changed his mind! we made the most delicious stones...i mean scones... just in time for tea! we slapped on some raspberry preserves made over the weekend and what a most delicious treat!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

oscar again.


as it turns out...
oscar is 3.
i'm sure you were wondering and wondering all day...
and as i suspected we didn't make up our minds until 3 candles were poked into the cake. it is true what they say...everything just looks better in threes.
the lemon poppyseed cake was enjoyed by all...especially by hugh's tongue.
happy birthday you funny old sock puppet!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

oscar

meet oscar...the sock puppet.
oscar is the newest addition to our family. actually, i made him quite some time ago and was rather disappointed when hugh wasn't IMMEDIATELY taken with him. but since the passing of our dear pup, oscar has stepped in as...well, i guess one could say...our family pet. he speaks in an english accent {because i will take any opportunity to practice my accents}...sometimes he talks too loudly and sometimes he {accidentally} spits when he talks...but mostly he is hilarious {thank you very much} and brings joy and friendship to hugh. oscar is a great companion for picnics, sing-a-longs and bike rides. but he's not so great when it comes to playing in the sandbox, eating ice cream and sipping tea. {although being english it does seem he might be good at the latter}
anyway, as it happens oscar is having a birthday tomorrow. he is turning 3...no wait 4...no definitely 3. i'm sure his age will be finalized when the candles go on the cake!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

the week has been....

a blur...
because it takes days and days to get hugh to fall asleep every night...i've missed a few posts this week. and there's actually quite a bit to report...a new douglas reads...a party for worsley and a new project in the works.
i'll catch up later.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

i scream.

ice cream every friday night.
with a lingering scent of sweet vanilla on a sticky chin greeting me every saturday morning...
a new tradition.




Sunday, July 20, 2008

before and after



Neat and tidy are not the first words that come to mind when describing me--probably not the second or third or anywhere on the list for that matter. However, I LOVE to organize--love it--One certainly wouldn't know it to look at me, but nothing makes me happier than sorting through something like the above mess (please see Feb 27 post) and turning it into something a little less stress inducing.

In this same room I have what I like to call, my personal make work project. Seemingly unrelated items are collected and thrown into a closet over a period of few months, then when it becomes just simply unbearable, I tear it apart and rebuild it--categorizing, sorting--an afternoon of sheer bliss and supreme satisfaction once finished. Unfortunately, I don't really like to let anyone else (like my husband) go into this organized space as I am the only one who knows how it is all put together and heaven help the person (my husband) who rips it all apart trying to find his only decent pair of shoes.....a little bit crazy, I will admit and coming from a messy person like myself--even crazier.

note--there will be no photo posted of this closet as even though it IS most definitely organized, to the casual observer it might not appear this way and therefore best if just left to the imagination

Friday, July 18, 2008

Things we love





A couple of birthdays have come and gone--these being mine and my fabulous Mr. M's. One of the loveliest presents we received was this beautiful book that Albert created using her gorgeous photos and the words of Sandol Stoddard Warburg. A new family heirloom indeed!

Thank-you, thank-you Albert!

xo worsley

cheer.

nothing cheers the heart like chomping on smoked trout...chatting with friends and sharing latest yarn finds! it was a steamy summer evening last night...so sitting outside drinking lemonade elixirs among pals was just the ticket. along with our friend j. , worsley and i had such a dandy time planning futures trips to here and drooling over j.'s newest inspiration! ahh...i'm ready to knit!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

iggy can sing.

the one aspect i LOVE of summer is its music. sure winter, spring and fall also offer some fine melodies...but there's something about music in the summer that makes my toes twinkle and my hips wiggle. and this season, without fail i am lovin' and shakin' to this.
iggy can sing...and listening to this tune makes me feel like i can dance...and although i get a side cramp and am breathless by the third verse...standing still and pumping my fist in the air is perfectly alright by me...because summer songs allow for this kind of behaviour.
and the picture below has nothing to do with my summer anthem other than i had wished it was playing while hugh and mr. m were rocking today in the sprinkler.


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

pain behind my eyes

i miss her.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

2002-2008.

today with great grief and heavy hearts we said goodbye to our 'first born'.
our loyal and lovely, stinky and snoring, beautiful baby girl.
we are sitting in shock with puffy eyes and runny noses.
how could this be?
we loved her so...
and it feels impossible and simply dreadful to have her gone.
rest in peace herriot.

Friday, July 4, 2008

cottage...and more.

oops!
i forgot to mention i would be off-line for a week...
we're back now...and my-oh-my....how we enjoyed our breezy and sunny filled moments at the cottage.
somebody...not mentioning any names...spent nearly every single minute nudie in the lake...nudie in the porch
and nudie, nudie, nudie every where else where nudie would allow!
ah. freedom!

next week i will be off-line again...
hellllllooooo chicagoooooooo!!!!!!

until then...
be well.

Friday, June 27, 2008

hbd worsley

now you didn't think i forgot, did you?
happy birthday mama worsley.
you bring such joy, comfort, inspiration, hilarious stories, good food {especially those crackers you whipped up the other day}, adventure {yes, i'm thinking about a bumper} and most importantly a friendship that we feel ever so blessed to have in our lives...
sniff. sniff.
you are adored.
and i wish you a most splendid year ahead....


xo albert {and hugh}

douglas reads: scaredy squirrel

well she's at it again...choosing a gut busting good time read for all!
today, douglas reads:
scaredy squirrel
by: melanie watt {there's a fancy accent above the 'e' in melanie's name...boy, i wish my name had a fancy accent too. it would sound so much better!}
we can REALLLLLLLLY relate to scaredy squirrel around our house...as of late we have our own scaredy squirrel, mr. hugh. the poor babes has been bitten by fright! all of our artwork scares him...so our walls are bare....our refrigerator magnets scare him...the calendar scares him...the street lights scare him...men with beards, certain flowers, all froggies, horses with teeth, elephants, candle holders, zebras {and i am sure i'm leaving lots out}...all of those...scare hugh.
this will pass, right?
back to scaredy squirrel...
not only is the writing brilliant...but so are the illustrations. so when you rush out immediately to your corner bookstore to purchase scaredy squirrel...why not pick up this and this too!
thanks douglas...we are so lucky to have you!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

flags & birds.

flag banners...
coming soon.

tweet tweet mobile
coming soon too.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

pretty.

i like this....it's pretty. it's simple. it's well...it's kind of serene.
and after a day at the beach...in the blazing sun...fighting with a seagull who apparently has a fondness for chickpea salad...
i could really use some serenity.
and do you know how i discovered hillary....
well, i was looking for new undies.
another story...for another day.


my other like today is this
from justine's blog...
man, i love it. i kind of can't stop thinking about the picture...
it makes me feel like i'm spying on a very sweet moment that is full of comfort and passion...it's just lovely...or as justine writes, "pretty". hmmm...i wonder what the story is behind it...do tell jollyjollyjolly...do tell.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

one wildhagen hat please!

still waiting for the return of my camera...
but loving finding and rediscovering favourite inspirations...
like this
i'll have one of each thank you very much...
or maybe just one for each season..
okay...fine, i'll be very happy with just ONE!



Friday, June 20, 2008

douglas reads: big momma makes the world

worsley and i have a friend named...well we'll call her douglas {you know...her street name...literally}. douglas is talented in many, many ways...but if you ask us, we think douglas is most clever with choosing children's books. a mummy of 2 wee puddin' and pies, douglas is always reading and is always looking for beautiful books. often, worsley and i will ask her for recommendations and because she can offer so many...we sometimes aren't very bright at remembering each and every one! so worsley and i decided to dedicate one day a week to 'douglas reads'... where we will share with you one book hand picked by our queen of children's literature.
today, douglas reads:
big momma makes the world
by: phyllis root
i have a tendency to go on and on when describing books {or movies} and mostly i recap way too many details to which usually bores the listener or ruins the ending...so i won't say a word other than...this book is perfect for a new mom...mom to be...or anyone who likes books {how about that for narrowing it down!!!}
enjoy.