anne

miss adaryn still had a sore throat today so i said she could stay home from school. she was profoundly happy as the constraints of the school routine wear on adaryn at times due to her free spiritedness. so we had the opportunity to spend a day just the two of us. soup and tea and crafts and....
anne, anne of green gables.

when i was a little girl i fell in love with lucy maud montgomery's, anne of green gables, a classic canadian read; but even more than the books (which was unusual for me) was my love of the movie (or cbc mini series,  as it was then) i loved it so very very much i watched it every chance i got.  as we got older, my brother and i used to make it a tradition to watch it every xmas season.

upon discovering anne, for the first time in my life i really identified with a character, a person whom i felt was like me.  being a highly sensitive child i always felt a little strange and out of place, but when i met anne i felt there might be others like me, and fortunately as life goes on, you do realize you are not the only one who feels like the odd duck out from time to time.  anne's flair for the dramatic, sensitive and empathic nature,  belief in the power of imagination, longing to belong, eagerness to connect with 'kindred spirits', fiery temper, love of books and literature opened up my heart as a girl and teen....to myself.

my parents traveled across canada this past year and when they made the special trip to pei and the museum dedicated to anne, they made sure to take many pictures recording the homage for me; they have a special 'anne' token to give me when they return to bc in the spring.
 

during our courtship ed gave me a book called looking for anne: how lucy maud montgomery dreamed up the literary classic by irene gammel  http://www.keyporter.com/lookingforanne/ its a very interesting book about montogomery's life and intriguing inspirations that helped her write about anne.  to me this gesture was his romantic poem to me; he loved my 'anne self' and wanted to honor this part of me. every time ed catches me watching 'anne', which by now is only at least.... once a year, he will chuckle.."isn't it april, april of green gables".


here is a link to my parent's photos in pei:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=1491856210073&id=1044055167&aid=2068316.

the magic bag

today ed called me at work; he was looking for something. something adaryn needed. she was not feeling well,  so he went and picked her up from school. when he called me he was making her some soup, cozying her up in a blanket. she wanted him to call me to ask where the magic bag was.  the magic bag is a warming pillow i discovered about 10 years ago. at that time i was still using a hot water bottle for my moon time or when i wanted to warm up on a cold winter's night, but then i found.... the magic bag! well....it was magic. it has some sort of grain inside and you can pop it in the the microwave  to warm it up in minutes and it stays warm for a long time.  being a slight sensitive one i am often cold in the winter and it is my 'magic' friend when the nip hits the air.

so adaryn was in need of some magic today to chase this flu away.  i gave her a bit more stepmamapree magic when i got home...miso soup with rice, tea and a temp check.... a wee bit high so lots of liquids and off to bed with a kiss and snuggle.....some magical stories with daddy and my magic bag.

just the other day, being the crafty artsy girl she is, made her own magical bag out of one of my old sweaters. it is bound to hold much magic i'm sure.

bathing beauties

this christmas the love of my life gave me a whole assortment of stuff for bathing. he noticed that i take a lot of baths and thought "what kind of gift will make a big impact on her daily life..." and so he bestowed on me lovely candles, mineral bath, and a beautiful bath caddy to go on our large claw foot tub.... and so i can relax and have my 'private' and 'relaxing time' as adaryn calls it... in my bath....

i think i have always liked sitting in the bath.... i think i learned this from my mom. i always remember that she (and my dad actually) would have a bath before bed, a way to end the day, to wind down and relax after their hectic tasking all day long..... and so i have carried on the tradition.  it is a simple pleasure and a place where i can truly be alone with myself. currently with an energetic 8 year old around, these moments can be few and far between. she has even made a little 'do not disturb' sign for me so when i'm in the bath she understands that i am having a little bit of 'alone time' when the door is closed and sign is hung.

when i think of baths i am also reminded of the city, bath in england which i was able to visit when i was in grade 11 on a school trip. i remember it being one of my favourite cities on the leg of our journey because of all the charming book shops and pubs. i also remember the grandeur of the roman baths built there. at my young age i thought how remarkable it was that there was still evidence of them from the roman period. i was struck by this many a time on this trip... cathedrals, stonehenge, tintern abbey, it planted the seed for my love of history.

i am also reminded of my grandmother speaking about the healing power of milk baths, and indeed in the city of bath these roman baths were know for their many healing properties; some would come from all over england and even drink the water to heal themselves..... for me the milk bath would conjure up images of cleopatra and how she is said to have taken 2 milk baths a day to preserve her beauty.... i'm sure she lounged about with attendants bringing her grapes and other delicacies.....instead i am often greeted by little knocks on the door 'can i come in yet' instead of bowls of fruit and luxurious rub downs by servants. however, i can take a little time each day to be surrounded by rose water, candles and  feel like a queen in my private bath....at least for an hour.

eggs

i guess it seems a bit stereotypical that my next entry would be about eggs, but they have been on my mind lately...

mostly because i seem to be eating a lot of them lately. i have been trying my hand at this no sugar, no yeast diet and one of the things i can eat is eggs and i have been eating them with avocado. my body seems to want alkaline foods right now, the no sugar is killing me....which i always thought ' i really don't eat that much sugar'...but when you look at the ingredients of many things, including sauces there is a lot of sugar.... so for now it will be a bland diet void of all the things i love to eat, soft brie cheese, olives, tomatoes, wine..... by spring i hope to be ph balanced again and able to feast on all these things in time for my birthday....but for now, it's avocado, asparagus, rice, coconut milk and .....eggs.

eggs also remind me of when i was a small child finding a robin's nest with those precious eggs so blue that they looked painted by hand, so fragile and unimaginable that a little bird could be hiding in this tiny beautiful object ....but now i have learned that many things in life transform into something that can take flight and be carried on the wind will start small, fragile and precious.

nesting

i always think of winter as a 'nesting' time....fall too....these seasons seem to be condusive to hunkering down eating hearty food, cozying up, reading good books, drinking wine and hot cocoa....

and so january is when i have chosen to launch my blog.  a time when sometimes all i really want to do is sleep for most of the day and.... make things.....

lately i have taken to making little stuffies again. i think i started this about 5 or 6 years ago, making a little 'guy' for my friends' birthdays, i would create a creature whom i felt like summarized his/her personality (soon you will see these little ones made from scraps of materials, old dresses and sweaters,each will be featured here photographed as they take a little trip with me to a fave place they would choose to hang-out at if he/she didn't have the cozy life with their chosen adopted parent.....more to come)

as of late i have been creating these characters with my step daughter and these co-created ones will also make an appearance here, stay tuned...

i am very excited to have this venue to show whomever is interested .....what gives me joy....as i collect and weave and form april's tender nest.