Fill in the Blank Friday

It's Friday - how can that even be. This week, like all the rest sped by.  I am looking forward to the weekend and getting stuff done in preparation to moving my shop home. :o)

This week I made a dozen little owls, two whales, three owl bags, most of a messenger bag - none of which have had their picture taken yet.  :o)

I am very excited for the next chapter!

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1. My favorite feeling in all the world is the feeling of my family's hugs. Penelope with her little shoulders and arms like licorice whips and her big heart. The Little Man with his bear hugs and his too wise for his age ways. CH and and his comforting 'safe place' hugs. Pretty much love the hugs - but the kiss are pretty great too.

2. My favorite smell(s) is (are) gardenia, clean laundry (from my own house), (Body Shop) vanilla and breast fed baby breath (don't pass judgement on me, it smells so good. Penelope use to suck on my nose and it was the best smell ever).


3. My favorite taste is salty. Hands down. I also am very appreciative of savoury.

4. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen was... I should say my children or something along those lines - and they really are exceptionally beautiful but I always talk about them and when I read the blank the first thing that came to my mind was once when we all took a drive though the Pend Orielle road the summer after there was a huge forest fire. It was early evening and the light was perfect. The tress where all black and the grass and low growing plants that had come back were the most bright amazing green I have ever seen in nature. You could actually see the rays of the sun coming out of the sky. it was the kind of thing that would make a person believe in God.

5. The best sound ever is my children laughing together - although Penelope singing to herself all the time is a pretty close second. The love you feel for your children is so amazing and powerful - I feel compassion toward people who do not have children, by choice or not. To miss out on the magnitude of over whelming love would be so devastating.

6. A smell that reminds me of my childhood is rain on hot pavement, and the river in the summer heat.

7. My favorite of all the senses is sense of sight or sense of touch - I can't decide. I love to see beautiful things as much as I love to feel them. If I was forced to decide.  I f I had not choice?  Well, if I had a choice between never touching Penelope's cheek again or never seeing it, I would have to give up the sight. If I had a choice between never feeling a safe secure embrace from CH or never seeing him - I am going with the hug. You get the idea. I guess I decided, didn't I.  :o)

Have a wonderful Friday.  I'm off to the game!

:o) Tina

What I Did Today

Today I spent the better part of the day in family court. :( Yep, that's what I said.  Court.

H1 believes that I am alienating The Little Man from him and took me to court to have 'the law' force me to force him to go to his house. The kind (woman) judge said that she could force him but it would mean police coming to my home and taking him away - does H1 want that?  He said he doesn't.

The thing is, it is not me.  I have not been forcing him when he does not want to go.  I do not really care either way.  I will support him no matter what he wants to do with his weekends.  I happily drive him to fro or let him have ninety nine sleepovers in a row.  All I want is him to be happy and to look back on his childhood and revel in the how wonderful it was.  Should I force him? Eeck, self doubt creeps in...

I have to admit that I sympathize with H1's situation.  I cannot imagine how horrible to would feel for your child not want to come to your home.  At the same time I feel like he made his own bed with his rotten behaviour and his unwillingness to get down to Dominic's level and do things in a way to build, rather than tear down, their relationship. Even when I give him advice - I who knows this child through in through like no other person on earth knows him - he does not; will not; take it.  I simply do not understand.

Unfortunately, things do not always go the way that you want them to go. Or the way that you expect them to...  10 years ago I was married to a different man (in every way possible other that their hair colour and the 'thing' that makes them both men) living a complete different life.  I was so sad and broken. Searching within myself for a way to be happy.  Making really big, really hard decisions about where I was going with my life - and the life of my child.

Now I am going to sew and to watch The Voice while the shorties are at my parents.  This was not exactly what I was hoping for in a day off.  :)

Tina

Fill in the Blank Friday

The blanks this week are all about relaxing - I won't be doing much of that but am looking forward to it sometime in 2013.

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1. One thing I plan on doing to relax this weekend is sewing with the fabulous fabric I bought today at the Castlegar Quilt Show. I saw it and had to have it to use with a green jacket I have set aside for a fabulous bag! Pretty excited.

2. A big pet peeve of mine is sounds. The crinkling of plastic is a big one but I also strongly dislike (I would like to say hate but I tell my kids not to so I will practice what I preach)the sound of chewing. I also do not like paper crinkly, overly loud music or TV. To be honest I am pretty OCD so a lot of things bother me that may not bother the average person but I have learned to accept and move on.

3. I am really loving the recognition I am getting for my creative efforts. It feels so good and is such a compliment when someone buys something I have made!

4. The rain is kind of expected. After a rainy spring and the river being its highest in like 40 years, this fall it is the lower I ever remember seeing it. This week is the first time it has rained in ages.

5. My favorite girly indulgence is pink and/or flowery stuff. My cell phone case - pink, flowery and girly; my lunch bag - flowery; my taste in fabric - flowery; my taste in clothes - pink. You get the idea.

6. A song I always get stuck in my head is (lately)., Set Fire to the Rain. Adele has a powerful passionate voice.  Love her.

7. The best cure for stress is family time, a little sewing and sleep. It is the only time I will choose sleep over anything else.

I am kind of tired tonight but I really want to sew. The quilt show was tiring and not as much fun as it used to be.  I think there are fewer quilters as a result of the economy and that the vendors are feeling the pinch.

Off to sew (and change into my pjs). :oD

Tina

Random Conversation with The Little Man

The back story:  The Mouth's boss' last name is Button.  I love buttons.  LOVE. THEM. Totally jealous of her name, but little else. There I said it.

Me:  I wish my last name was Button. No. I wish that was my first name. As a matter of fact, you should call me Button from now on.

TLM:  I'll start calling you Button if you call me Felix.

(totally dead pan - he is finally getting a sense of humour like me.  Hahahahaha . That was for you PITA).

Happy day.  Off so sew.  What the heck, 10:30 already??!!

:o)  Nighty Night Rainbow Bright (that one is for PITA too),

Tina

The New Plan

Told Nag that I was going to give notice and close the shop today.  I am sad, but relieved and looking forward to a new chapter in this amazing life of mine.

Bomb. Dropped.

In other news, I finished these two bags today.

Crush - black velvet outside, decadent satin lining inside.  This bag was a jacket!

Curvy - this bag was also a jacket, a Curves insulated jacket. :)
Thank you Fran!

More later on the new plan.

And by later, I don't mean today.

:o) Tina

Fill in the Blank Friday - TWICE! :o)

Two weeks in one!

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1. My favorite flower is anything in the poppy or daisy family. I also love geraniums - they smell so good and are always in such vibrant colours I pretty much love all flowers and get teased for it on a regular basis! Remember the cell phone case PITA bought me for my birthday?

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2. You should never talk about creation to me. I am sorry, I do not mean to offend anyone who may be reading this but - really???? (I am not really okay with talking about abortion either, but thanks for asking.)

3. My favorite discovery as of late is how wonderful it is to laugh again after having so much stress and worry the last few years and now finally being able to see my way through it. I went to visit an old friend today and laughed until I cried. It was fabulous.  Today's visit and the new job combine to make a happy - laughing - lady.  :o)

4. This fall you will probably find me wearing jeans and a sweater. The new job is kind of chilly!

5. I wish I were sewing.  I haven't been much this week and I am feeling a little creatively deprived.  I have ideas but have been too tired by the end of the day to get them done!

6. My favorite TV show currently is The Voice. I am obsessed. Totally love it. Love Adam. Love CeeLo. Love Christina. Love Blake.  AND love all of the participants   Each time one that I like is chosen to stay, I get goose bumps everywhere!

7. This weekend I want to get the house cleaned up and putter in the yard a little. And of course cook something yummy that will last the whole week long - or at least two dinners!


Last weekend I was away on a Albertan adventure but could not miss filling in the blanks! I didn't get them finished until like Wednesday so I waited to post them.  Happy Friday everyone!

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1. The last thing I ate was Miss Vickie's Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Super Spectacularly Delicious Potato Chips. Yum.

2. The last time I went to the beach was at the end of August. I planned to go one more time in September but it just never seemed to happen once the busy fall schedule kicked in.

3. My last vacation was this past weekend when we went to Calgary to see the Mouth. We stayed in a fancy hotel (Coast Plaza) we booked through hotels.com and it was fabulous! I posted about it while I was there a little bit here, and here and here.

4. The last place I drove was to Sunningdale to pick some fusible fleece I ordered up from my parents. Pretty excited to refill my stock!! Two full bolts make me a very happy creator!

5. The last song I listened to was Goodbye Earl.... nope, Beth by Kiss.  I like to test CH's musical trivia abilities every now and then. He is really good at it and it makes me smile.  He has a terrible memory but remember music.  Go figure.  :o)

6. The last thing I watched on TV was Nova: Becoming Human on Netflix.

7. The last time I said "I love you" was when I was trying to tear myself from Penelope's grasp when tucking her in and saying goodnight. My least favorite part of the day.

Have a super fabulous, super wonderful, weekend.

X :o)  Tina

The Way Back - Things I Saw or Thought About on the Road

1. Stop signs in the prairies are twice the size of ours at home. I'm not even joking. It's nuts.

2. The foothills near Turner Valley are beautiful in October. I thought Turner Valley was a city. I was wrong.

3. Long drives on easy roads make me sleepy.

4. The best time of year to travel in the evening is hunting season. Apparently the East Kootenay and Albertan wildlife is smart enough to lay low, we haven't seen so much as squirrel on the way home.

5. Rest stops in BC out number rest stops in Alberta like 8 to 1, even though in Alberta you need them to wake up!

6. It was snowing in Longview Alberta. It was freakin' cold in Sparwood. After being so nice in Calgary it was a shock to my bare arms!

A beautiful (stuffed dead?!) wolf - one of many.

7. There was a giant cowboy in a field in Alberta and Paul Bunyan in some trees in BC.

8. Pedestrians in Alberta never look. I mean never. Ever. They just walk. What if the driver doesn't look either? I had like 12 mini strokes while in Calgary because of this.

9. Cross Iron Mills is an amazing mall with a really interesting hunting and fishing store called the Bass Pro Shop (amazing, but creepy) store with lots of stuffed dead things all over the place. In some ways I enjoyed it more than the zoo as the animals were too dead to be bored and sad.

Doe (?) elk above the gun sales area.

10.  My Shorties are were so amazing all the way there, all the way home and almost every minute of in between.  :o)

The bottom line is, I much prefer my province. Alberta is a nice place to visit but coming home to the mountains and proper sized trees is a wonderful thing.

Looking forward to work tomorrow - LOVE my new job. :)

:o) Tina

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Day 2. We Are Here

1. The zoo in Vancouver is bigger and flatter than the zoo Calgary but Calgary is more interactive and has more variety. The dinosaur park sucks in October and there was garbage everywhere. (Not cool Alberta) The enclosures are way bigger in Vancouver - way - which is better for the animals but less exciting for the people. I think Calgary also has more animals. Over all it was enjoyable but very surreal. I enjoyed it but felt a lot of the animals seemed bored and listless, especially the predators.

2. I was worried I would be too cold and I am boiling!! It has been beautiful here today.

3. Soap dispensers are tourist attractions to a seven year old.

4. My child's 'adult' relationship is a difficult pill for me to swallow. It's going to be so much worse when the child is mine biologically and I have raised them from birth.

5. I am pooped.

:o) Tina

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Day 1. On the Road

Worth noting from the road:

1. The Salmo Creston pass (officially Kootenay Pass) was beautiful as always. It is a majestic pass, very high up. You go straight up to the top of the mountain and then straight back down. (I always distract myself taking pictures of the beautiful scenery so that I am not freaking out about driving at the edge of a cliff!)




2. The post office in Yahk is in a mobile home.

3. The Shorties rock. No fighting and no complaining. Partly because they are excited to see their brother. Partly because they are use to road trips and tolerate the ride. Partly because they are just amazing little people.

4. Strange conversations: Is daylight savings time transcontinental?

5. Apparently road trippin' agrees with me. I just bought a faux leather jacket. So not my style but it once was so I took a chance. I bought a WHITE hoodie to go under it. Well it is actually cream but the fact is, it isn't black and that is amazing for me!

6. They have huge candy bags at the gas station in Windemere and steeped tea is $.10 more in Invemere than home.

7. I am tired and I'm going live with my post. Talk to you in the morning. :)

:o) Tina

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Day 1. Waiting for the Adventure to Begin!

Here I sit waiting not so patiently to go. Every time I think about it my shoulders get tense and the butterflies in my tummy dance.

I alway get so anxious when I am doing something out if the ordinary. All things considered that is so strange. Where has the bravery of my youth disappeared to??? I think my kids took it! ;)


:o) Tina

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Esplanade Ave,Trail,Canada

Alberta Here We Come

Me, CH and the Shorties are road trippin' to Cowtown this weekend to see The Mouth and his boss (okay, his girlfriend).  I plan to do a bunch of posts - via my phone - while on the road.  Should be interesting... I am TOTALLY freaking out!

This is Why Every Kid Should Have a Dog

I am Sally Albright

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A long while back I did a post that was a list of interesting things about me.  I would like to do a list of weird things about me but then you might not read my blog any more because you might think I am a total wing nut, so I will give them to you slowly!  :o)

Have you ever seen When Harry Met Sally?  There is scene in the movie where Sally is ordering pie?  That is me.  She is totally neurotic about a zillion things - she is me.  Serious.

But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real; if it's out of the can then nothing.        ~Sally Albright

If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for?

:o) Tina