December 31, 2012

Jamie

I am a walking project! I had to laugh when I looked around "my spot" on the couch and all around me were projects. Having been sick for the past several days it's like I built a little kid fort all around me; every where I look there is something to do, to read, to explore. One thing I"m loving is this new crochet project I got from a magazine that Santa put in my stocking. I'm so proud I've figured out the pattern so far and am just loving the process and the look. And that's lucky too, since Jinx is sitting on my other crochet patterns!

Shannon
I think one of the things that cats like best is jumping on the bed when the sheets are being put on.  I don't know what it is, but they just LOVE it.  A managed not to trap my cat under the sheets, but believe you-me, that was where he wanted to go!

Suzie

Reg and I did some major cleaning yesterday which was great. I really wanted to start off 2013 right. Not very glamorous but still awesome. 

Rewind: December 30, 2012

Jamie

With year-end right around the corner, I've been doing a lot of reflecting, thinking about my dreams, both old and new. This Polaroid was taken because I needed a photo for a dance audition. I've always had a fire for performance. It's hard to imagine that I was already feeling to old for my dance dreams here, as a girl really. I remind myself of that now too, whenever I'm feeling I might be too old for a dream. I imagine my 70-year-old self looking at a photo of me today and saying, "What was I thinking? Look at me! I was full of possibilities."

Suzie

Our first New Year's Eve celebration downtown in Citadel Square five years ago with Mike and Jen. We were homeless, living in a motel close by and eating constantly at Maxwell's Plum because they had cheap food. We were so hopeful about this new phase in our lives back then.

Looks like it is going to be the last New Year's Eve we all spend in Nova Scotia. Oddly, I have mixed feelings about it. Even though it has been brutal, we still made sure to have as much fun as we could together. I will miss that.

December 29, 2012

Jamie

The last dreamboard of 2012: the Full Cold Moon. Even though I'm still not feeling well, I had the energy for pulling pictures and dreaming. I love that my familiar colour story showed up here at the end of the year. I haven't had a chance to get to know it yet, but  Ido see lots of work ahead - though lots of wonderful, good work, in an environment of clarity and serenity. I'm looking forward to more dreaming with this board!

Shannon
With a bluster-y and snow-y day it felt really nice to tuck into an old-school classic horror / b-movie flick and that is definitely what I got with Creature From the Haunted Sea. Who knew this was a noir-ish secret agent flick? Not I! And certainly not with that title. It was very entertaining and very goofy, and exactly what I was looking for.

Suzie

Reg and I were at Old Navy yesterday picking out a purple outfit Christmas gift for Lorraine which she loved and wore right away. While we were there Reg spotted this orange shirt with skiing skulls on it and it was 70% off! I know orange isn't one of "my colours" but for five dollars, I had to have it. I'm wearing it today and love it! It is good to break the rules. Not sure if I look bad in it but I love it so who cares?

December 28, 2012

Jamie

It was a snow day here yesterday! First thing in the morning I could see the inches of snow piled up on the fence. Not long after I had to laugh when I could literally see the hopping pattern of the squirrel that must have used it for his route! It was nice to have a giggle because I'm so disappointed to be sick right now. These two days were the days I set aside for my personal holiday, two quiet days of reflection and dreaming. Now I'm mostly sleeping! Maybe I'm clearing for the wonderful dreams coming in 2013!

Shannon
Snowy day here in the T-dot for sure but I still trekked out (mid-day, after folks had shovelled & salted - THANK YOU to all of those that did), because it was another Library Loot day and i got some great goodies to enjoy. I have to find some reading time though, because all theses books need to get read!

Suzie

The snowstorm hit us yesterday. I woke up to hear about it, put on my boots and take off right away to get some supplies. It turned to rain last night. I just hope it's warm enough to avoid turning into ice. Otherwise, I'm not going anywhere.

December 27, 2012

Jamie

Boxing Day was probably the most laid-back day that I've had all year. I'm still struggling with being sick and so spent most of the day either reading or sleeping, reading or sleeping. I completely devoured The Creative Life by Julia Cameron, which Shannon gave me for Christmas. It's kind of like tagging along with Julia as she goes about her daily creative life. There's something in me that needed to remember what it's like to be living this way. It was a real inspiration infusion. Thank you, Shannon.

Shannon

Still enjoying the awesome holiday leftovers with some green infusion of brussell sprouts.  A world of YUM!  Plus, turkey soup is made and just needs the fixings of peas and such to be enjoyed.  Delightful. :)

Suzie

No photos yesterday. Just sitting on the couch and watching a ton of Community. This show starts off crappy. It took me five episodes to start laughing (while I was crocheting). My friends insisted I should keep watching and now I am so glad I did. Although Jeff is a big TOOL I really like most of the rest of the cast. They're all kind of misfits and some of them are so adorable and inspiring. Not for everyone. As Jason said, it's a bit sharp, but turns out we love that and spent the day howling with laughter at the end of season 2. Just what we needed. 

December 26, 2012

Jamie

Yep, that's me in cozy Christmas pyjama pants, opening my stocking on Christmas morning. I love the tradition of having a really quiet and cozy day on Christmas. We had such a good time relaxing, watching movies, indulging in treats. It was awesome, even if I was still really sick.

Suzie

Here are some snapshots of our Christmas! Thank you for everything, all the presents were so thoughtful and wonderful. I hope you both had a relaxing and easy going Christmas too!

December 25, 2012

Suzie

Well we finally completed all our decorating, just in time for Christmas! And so far, no food poisoning (knock on wood). It was so great chatting yesterday, I so wish I could be there but getting a chance to speak to everyone is always a joy. Miss you all so much!

December 24, 2012

Jamie

I love our Christmas Eve Celebrations, complete with a roaring fire, LOL. It was a wonderful evening, despite me being sick. Dinner was still wonderful. Thank you so much, Shannon, for stepping in and pulling it all together. And it was so nice to be together, including our call with you, Suzie, and with Jason too! A magical evening.

Shannon

The Christmas lights are up!!! And just in time to enjoy here on Christmas Even. I know it's hard to capture them in pictures but I did my best!  I put up the combo-lights that have all the different settings and a string of blue lights plus another set in the washroom.  And I made the major Chirstmas lights faux pas of not testing the strand before putting it up!  Good thing I found multiple strings of blue lights that I could easily replace them.

Suzie

Reg and I finally finished decorating the tree last night and thanks to Shannon, watched The Bishop's Wife which even Reg liked which was nice. We also got these new little bird ornaments for the tree when we went Christmas shopping yesterday that made me fall in love with our tree all over again.

Rewind: December 23, 2012

Jamie

I love Grandma. I think about her all the time, especially at Christmas. I was just thinking yesterday that I may try and reinstate the tradition of wearing something nice, maybe even something new, for Christmas. I'll have to work that onto the master list of Christmas! (Which I felt pretty relieved to have yesterday because I'm so sick and Justin was getting the groceries for Christmas and I didn't have to make it up, I just had to print it out!)

Shannon
I was doing some cleaning yesterday and I found a box of nostalgia stuff, and in it was a bunch of book like this lovely SNOW! one, which is perfect timing given not only the holidays but also as it did snow yesterday. It's already disappeared, but it was pretty while it lasted!

December 22, 2012

Jamie

We had some wonderful Winter Solstice celebrations this week. All-day visits, making and enjoying chocolate chip cookies, enjoying the lights and watching Elf. What a great day! And when the cookies didn't taste quite the same as they always, always have, we discovered that I've been making them the "Jamie" way instead of the "Hazel" way for years!

Suzie

Reg and I decorated the front of the house and finally got some blue flood lights that work! Sadly we had a huge wind storm last night and many of the decorations were blown off but they're pretty indestructible. Reg put them back this morning.

December 21, 2012

Shannon

It's really getting close to holiday season, but I did make it out to the library for one more Library Loot before we get full on with the holiday cheer.  My library even smelt like Christmas, although when I said that I think I was the only one who thought so!  

Suzie

Reg is such a sweetie for letting me take this photo of him. When he saw this item he said, a sparkly dunce cap, what I have always wanted and put it on his head. So of course I had to get out my camera! The woman who worked there agreed, he looked great. I think he looks like a Christmas elf.

We spent so much time going to stores and didn't buy a single thing. We are so in downsizing mode right now that buying "stuff" just doesn't feel right. We got a blue floodlight for our front lawn instead when we spontaneously stopped by Canadian Tire. More light in our lives is what we really need.

December 20, 2012

Jamie

Our poor little Jinx. She has an infection and she's been so itchy that she's been overly hard on herself. We've got her some meds and some ointment and to protect her from herself, she has to wear this cone. She is so disoriented and really doesn't like it. Since she's had it on, she's mostly sat under the tree. Poor boo. I hope she feels better soon.

Shannon
I was definitely in distraction-needing-mode for some of yesterday and in so I watched the awesome dance competition show Born to Dance. Who knew BET on Demand would have something so awesome to enjoy? Oddly they don't have all the eps, but it's way more than enough for me to plow through easily.

Suzie

We got our first real snowfall yesterday and Reg came home and put up our winter solstice lights. It helped get my mind off stuff and did make me feel a bit better that the light will be coming back soon.

December 19, 2012

Jamie

We pulled out all the ornaments and our Santa hats and had a lovely time putting up the tree. I don't want to do a big tree reveal until Shannon's had a chance to come over. No Christmas spoilers, hehe.

Shannon

Got out for coffee yesterday which was really nice, and even better I had enough on my Starbucks card for not only my coffee but a treat as well. I didn't get to all the writing and organizing I wanted to, but it was still really nice to get out.

Suzie

I used my little enamel pot yesterday and a small coffee container to melt wax and make my first candles yesterday! It went great until Reg mentioned you shouldn't use paraffin for candles anymore but who cares? I am happy with them! And I am just happy I finally did something!

December 18, 2012

Jamie

Yesterday, on a very balmy December afternoon, Justin and I headed out to get a Christmas tree. It took us quite a while to pick just the right one but we just love it. It's tall and skinny and almost touches our ceiling! And we were thrilled that the Christmas Tree guy even delivered. What a treat!

Shannon

I had a rather long day yesterday, but with it I was happy to have the play Belle Moral ~ a natural history by Ann-Marie MacDonald keep me busy and read the ENTIRE thing while I was out and about.  I actually picked it up specifically for the reason that I thought it was the perfect size to carry with me and read, and turns out it was! And as a bonus, at the beginning it's explained that a previous incarnation of the play ran at The Factory Theatre back in 1990 with Martha Burns, Henry Czerny and David Fox!  Wow!

Suzie

What a treat! Yesterday I was all layered up and it was not very windy and just above freezing and I decided to walk all the way out to my thrift store. I really needed a cheap aluminum pot for making candles in so I picked up that cute little yellow enamel one on the bottom right. Altogether I spent $5 and got some new plates for my foodie photos, for 99 cents each. Pretty good day.

December 17, 2012

Jamie

I've been working really hard to be able to share my Vision Card Workshop with people for the holiday season. I love this practice and do it every year and was so excited to put together this class so that everyone could join in. I can't wait to make my Vision Cards this year.

Shannon
I feel like I should have posted this one yesterday because it's totally nostalgic for me. Anyhow, how funny is it that during a big clean up this weekend I ran across the book "The Big Tidy-Up". I LOVE this book! I don't even remember reading the story, but just looking at all the pictures (I guess I didn't get 'the message' on tidying up, if there is one). In particular I used to look for the lollipops on the pages, even if there was only 2 I was convinced there was more and it was a game to find them!

Suzie

I did go out with some friends on the weekend and we ended up going for coffee and dessert in a lovely area called The Hydrostone. We shared this piece of "opera cake". It is getting colder though and getting out is getting harder. Still, it was nice to have a festive day out with friends.

Rewind: December 16, 2012

Jamie

It's a little cold for this rewind, but I couldn't resist. That's Robbie full of delight in the red and me right behind him with the green floaty device around me. (Red and green, there is a Christmas theme in there somewhere!) And we're with Jennifer and Sharon (I just love Sharon's sailor bikini!) Mom's looking either nervous that Robbie's going to fall in or like perhaps it was a bit chilly that day.

Suzie

Me and Mom when I was in Toronto this past summer. It feels so long ago now!

December 15, 2012

Jamie

I'm in a bit of overwhelm. I had hoped to be wrapping up business this week so that next week could be holiday prep and the week after that holiday enjoyment. But business is not wrapped up. There's lots to do and I'm tired. Yesterday I was so tired that when I started to think about my year in review, I couldn't remember anything. What did happen in 2012? Then I looked back in my datebook and saw France and a fence and Suzie's visit and the interloper and a new e-book and WDS and lots of good stuff. I know I can look through this blog and have reminders too. It still felt weird to look back and just see a fog. It's a good signal that what I really need is some sleep.

Suzie

Nothing too interesting yesterday. I did layer up and venture out to the grocery store which I really did not want to do but I had to mail a winner's giveaway prize and OMG, the lines! I no longer feel guilty about buying from Amazon. Although, everything was tax free and I ended up forgetting milk, eggs and bread because I was trying to figure out what deals I could get. We are good though and now I have a meat thermometer for the turkey I am going to make at Christmas. That's right, I am going to make turkey for just me and Reg!

December 14, 2012

Jamie

Justin's officially on holidays so we decided to go out for dinner last night and it turns out it was karaoke night! That's our waiter singing Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash. He sounded great!

Shannon

I know there are still a few weeks left, but I couldn't wait any longer to have a new calendar, so I crafted this one together from outtakes of a freebie calender at the library.  I love being able to see the year as a whole and a quick reference check for dates just one glance away from the computer.  It comes in handy for sure when planning and double-checking things.  2013 is coming, there ain't no doubt about it.

Suzie

I have not been in my crafts room for more than just a few seconds which resulted in things building up and that always becomes a crafts-room-repellant. I did some paperwork and actually made my own lip balm yesterday! It was not a complete success, the scented oil wasn't very strong, but I am just so glad I finally DID something!

December 13, 2012

Jamie

I usually cowork at Tanya's on Wednesdays and this week we decided to just celebrate and catch up over coffee and cookies. It was just what I needed. Not to mention Tanya's house comes complete with free hugs!

Shannon

I feel like I'm kind of cheating because this is an pic that Suzie created for Hexed...but... I'm in it so ..it counts right?  I also spent some time updating the Hexed site a little bit I was really in Hexed-land for a lot of yesterday, and it was of course as always, great to catch up with Suzie!

Suzie

With Mom's advice and telling me how Grandma used to use leftover beef to make crepes, I decided to use my leftover corned beef to make my own version of knishes, something I have never had before. It's like a knish meets a latke I guess. They were so good! Even Reg loved them, what a relief.

December 12, 2012

Jamie

I'm so moved that Justin is working on painting the studio doors for me! Every day this week, he's come home from work and done some painting. They're taking a lot of work! It's all a part of the great studio refresh and I'm so thankful. And hey, did you know it's 12/12/12 today? That must be super auspicious! Fruition and completion. I hope it's a good sign for us all.

Shannon
I finally made it through Black Christmas (original, not the remake) and wow, I can now see why it was rated the way it was and has the following that it does. Very groundbreaking I'm sure and a fascinating story, and so many familiar faces too. Although I doubt I'll add it to my regular Christmas roster, it's certainly worth of the October roster!

Suzie

While we were chatting for stART yesterday I had this corned beef cooking in the slow cooker. I was very excited about it but then Reg told me he doesn't like corned beef and I guess I didn't rinse it enough because it was salty and it looks like I over-cooked it because it was kind of falling apart. Mom said I could turn it into a knish which is what I am going to do tonight, my own panko-crumb-covered version that is not deep fried.