February 28, 2013

Jamie After a fair amount of technical difficulty, I was able to edit my How to Make a Blessing Bowl video. I'm just loving this practice and it was great to be able to share it. I'm writing my newsletter today and looking forward to including this new creation in it.

Suzie

I have been trying to make a homemade tomato soup for ages! I got caught off guard when I saw it required two heads of roasted garlic but I finally got around to making the soup and it was unbelievably delicious. Not sure it would appeal to either of you (especially Shannon, LOL) but wow, I loved it. First thing I have made in a while that made me really happy. That and my new black cutting board.

February 27, 2013

Jamie 

Another busy but wonderful day yesterday! A highlight was definitely filming stART with you both. Here's the moment before in my "backstage" area. It was so good to catch up and chat about what's up in our lives, creatively and beyond. After our show I also hosted Creativity Coffee, which, as always, was lively and fun!

Suzie

Same here Jamie! stART was definitely my highlight and focus yesterday. So glad CC went great, hope there weren't any tech issues.

February 26, 2013

Jamie

It's a good thing I love my studio and my view because I spend a lot of time sitting at this desk doing my work. Mondays are really full and wonderful days. I spend the mornings coaching and the afternoons leading Circe's Circle. Yesterday I also pulled together the podcast and got it posted plus visited Dreamboards and thankfully managed to sneak in some time to journal about and post my own. My dreamboards really help me stay grounded, clear and dreaming



Shannon
Yesterday was a long day, but I was happy that I did work in making my Full Moon Dreamboard! YAY. It felt pretty different than other months, I wonder what this month will bring.

Suzie

Did some product testing yesterday including baking some cranberry lemon muffins from a mix. Not impressed with the fruit flavouring but the mix was quite good. Oh and the sun has decided to come out this week which is so nice. I did something like six loads of laundry yesterday!

February 25, 2013

Jamie

Jinx and I had quite the battle of wills as I prepped for my Full Snow Moon Dreamboard! Eventually I managed to dream around her. Yesterday was actually quite full with dreaming, crocheting and a big pocket of working on tech stuff in the middle. I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to get so much done!



Shannon
I was so excited to get some YARN! All of these were on great sale (under $2 each!) last week at Mary Maxim and I'm just aching to decide what to do with them. I think socks are in order for sure our of the pink & green wee lil baby yarn and the rest might end up in my sweater. Fun times.

Suzie

On the weekend we went out to see Beautiful Creatures. I really did enjoy the movie, it's exactly what I needed, but I couldn't help but feel there was so much I was missing without having read the book. I think if you have read it, you will enjoy it even more than we did. 

February 23, 2013

Jamie

The weather changed our plans yesterday and it was so nice to hang out and get cozy with Shannon and Gobo. We had a delicious dinner and treats for dessert and my, oh, my did we laugh watching a bit of Duck Dynasty. (It happened to be on when our show was finished) There's a lot about that show that will actually stay with me, including the wise words of one brother, after taking his SUV off-road and tearing up the mud, spinning out and speeding, laughing all the way: "When you see a truck at the side of the road, you'll know what happened: liberation!"

Shannon
Jamie was so sweet and *brought* sweets over last night, these divine cupcakes. Oh wow. I can still remember so clearly how awesomely they tasted, especially the caramel/coconut one. What a strange combination, that totally worked!

Suzie

I know you saw this yesterday Shannon but it's the only photo I took, LOL. It doesn't even show the steep parts at the beginning or the ending of this pseudo pedestrian path 'o death to my Superstore. I had to pick up my prescriptions and supplies for the weekend. Ugh, I can't wait for it to warm up just a little!

February 22, 2013

Jamie

I absolutely love getting things in the mail! What a joy these days to have something tangible arrive in your mailbox. Yesterday I received these Animal Medicine/Totem Cards I ordered from Pixie Campbell. Tears came to my eyes when "Elephant" was the first card I saw. Here's what the card means, "Elephants are the ancient, wise ones. They are associated with great physical and emotional strength, resulting in hte establishment of deep familial relationships and support around them." I think that card was meant for all of us.

Shannon
One thing I looooooooooooooooooove getting in the mail is screeners! YAY! So exciting :

Suzie

I finally did a photo shoot of some of the finished pendants I have done and wanted to share this one with you since I talked about it on stART. I finally put it altogether and now have a "Jams" pendant that I think is quite adorable and completely original on my part. I figured out how to make the jams on my own which took a bit of experimentation in my crafts room. This one was a lot of fun!

February 21, 2013

Jamie

I am so blessed with beautiful, generous, loving people in my life, including you, my sisters! Yesterday it touched my heart so deeply to receive this beautiful package of love from the wonderful Julie Gibbons. It was a touch of love in a difficult week and it warmed my heart.

Shannon
As promised in yesterday's comment here is the cinnamon bun I was eating while reading/commenting on Suzie's cinnamon bun pendant! YUM!

Suzie

Yesterday began very early with crazy freezing rain and taking the slow highway into town for an appointment. Notice how there are no other cars coming from the other direction? At least I feel like the appointment was worth it but I came home and totally crashed. The freezing rain so gets into your bones here!

February 20, 2013

Jamie

Yesterday was a tough day. Some highlights though were that I finally managed to finish editing and uploading our 10th episode of stART and that I took the time for reading this book. I'm interviewing Christina for Creative Living with Jamie.



Shannon
Although this pic isn't from yesterday, it totally expresses how I felt! Talk about a blocked passageway to where you are trying to go. So frustrating!

Suzie

I actually got out of the house yesterday to go to the walk-in clinic for prescriptions and picked up some PC Blue Menu items for review. Jamie, I remember you asking me what the deal was with coconut water. I asked people and apparently it's very good to combat dehydration and is a great source of potassium, even better than bananas. Nobody likes how it tastes though! Oh and a reader spotted me there and said hello, which was very cool! 

Febraury 19, 2013

Shannon
I finished the back to my sweater! I hope it ends up being the right site/fit and all that good stuff. I'm really happy with the brown, which really surprizes me but there is something smooth and gentle about it that I'm loving. The front will be a different colour combination because I used most of the brown on the back! The front has a pouch, which will be a first for me. Wish me luck!

Suzie

After not having any time on the computer during our staycation, I was on it a ton yesterday prepping unboxing videos, doing my newsletter, uploading photos... Then I took a break and finally made this cinnamon bun pendant I have been wanting to make forever! In the photo it is pre-iced. The lighting was terrible which will normally stop me from doing crafty things but not yesterday. For some reason, it had to be made. And I did it!

February 18, 2013

Jamie

Justin and I continue our guitar quest. As you can see, it's a bit overwhelming to make a start! We had thought we'd pop in and rent a couple of guitars for a month to get a feel for it but before we knew it we were looking at the options and stuck on whether to start with steel strings or classical. This outing totally reminded me of Jason, particularly as we walked through the rental section with all sorts of young guys picking up the amps and such for their gigs Saturday night.



Shannon
Late add! My SciFi surprize this week was Menace from Outer Space and wow, it was scifi but not great. Very cheesy and lots of hilarious dialogue (one of the characters is named 'Winky') but oof, it was not tons of fun. But with my next film I'll be 1/5th of the way into the challenge. I'm looking forward to that landmark.

Suzie

We did get out this weekend with our friends Mike and Jen to finally see the latest Die Hard movie. As always, Bruce Willis was phenomenal but was it a good movie? Probably not. It was just great to get away for a bit though with friends.

February 16, 2013

Jamie

Last night Shannon and I met up to do a little bit of erranding. It was awesome to sit down afterwards for a chat, a Noisette coffee and a shared chocolate chip cookie. Often it's the little moments that are the best part of the day.

Shannon
At the very end of the day yesterday I finally finished The Host, and I'm glad I've actually switched to reading in the morning over the night because at night I nod off! I'm still sorting out how I feel about the book, it was better than I expected but still felt a bit message-y and I'm not quite comfortable with a few of the concepts. But now I'm so curious to finally look at the casting and the trailer!

Suzie

Mom told me about this foodie competition being held by Lay's where you come up with your own flavours. I entered a couple of times but I think this would be my favourite! The flavour would be crazy. Other than that, just did errands yesterday.

February 15, 2013

Jamie

There's nothing quite like The Hobbit for the holidays - especially in IMAX! Talk about immersive! I just love, love, loved it. I mean, like, little kid loved it. I actually haven't read the book and it was a complete joy to be in a familiar world full of surprises. I'm so glad that Justin, Shannon and I got out to see it together!

Shannon
It was so exciting to go and see The Hobbit yesterday with Jamie and Justin! Even though it's been out a while now, it felt perfect to see later as the theatre was quiet, but still big (IMAX - woohoo) and I loved the movie. It's kind of hilarious that I don't remember anything from reading the book at all, but the movie totally won me over and I felt like I was curled up at a campfire listen to story after story of adventures big and small.

Suzie

Reg and I went for burritos on Valentine's Day and I wore my Jayne's Hat! I finished the pompom yesterday so it's done!

February 14, 2013

I have been so exhausted these past few days. I know that I should be turning to my practices, especially meditation, and I just haven't. Yesterday afternoon, the interloper came by and hung out for over an hour. For a time, we sat quietly together. Him, curled up on the other side of the ice, calm, blinking at me slowly. Me, blanket curled around my shoulders, door open, fresh air, quiet.  Just the meditation I was needing.



Shannon
Crazy long day yesterday, and I was all over the place but was happy to kick back at the end of the night and enjoy some TV and that topped off with Ghost Mine. The show has been so much fun, and I'm sad it's coming to a close next week but I'm going to continue to enjoy it til then. And I retrospectively realize this is a bit of an odd pick for Valentine's!

I couldn't resist taking a pic of you and Mr. Man Shannon, he was just such a love muffin!

February 13, 2013

Jamie

It's been absolutely lovely having the interloper become a more regular visitor. Recently we've been seeing a big beautiful long-haired green-eyed black cat come by and it occurred to me that s/he may be the Interloper's parent. I've taken to calling him Big Daddy. A couple of times these two have seen one another and sit in a calm but very focused eye-to-eye standoff. Only when Big Daddy moves off does the interloper leave his post. I think he's beginning to consider tour yard a part of his home.

Shannon
I shared on stART yesterday that I picked up a sketchbook and put pencil to paper, and started with my ever-traditional first subject of drawing my hand. I wonder what I'll drawn next!

February 12, 2013

Jamie

Yesterday was a very full day with getting my newsletter out, a morning of clients and an afternoon of Circe's Circle. Still, I took every spare moment to keep working on the studio. I think almost all of my books have a home - yay! For the most part what is left is the finishing touches and the tough nigglies. I'm looking forward to the former, but the latter, not so much. One thing I know is that I am sticking to my guns: everything is going to have a place or it is going to go. Period. (PS.... I imagine I'm one of only a few people who has both an art smock and a feather boa hanging inside her closet... Then again... maybe not, hehe)

Shannon
On the weekend I caught up with yet another season of The Deadliest Catch with finishing Season 5! I've also picked up Season 6 and Season 7 on wicked sale so I should be all caught up by the time the new season starts in April. I'm still floored by how captivating I find the show on so many levels. Mystifying.

Suzie

We actually had a window of not-too-bad weather so we could get out of the house and pick up supplies. We had a gift card for Walmart so Reg picked up some stuff and I got some yarn that I love (really strong colours) and more food supplies to get through the next batch of bad weather. Oh I also got a Lucky Charms Shirt!

February 11, 2013

Jamie

Holy moly, so much went on this weekend that it was hard to pick a pic! The snow storm was crazy. The interloper came by several times, despite the snow. My new bookshelves arrived - YAY - and I started the crazy process of sorting through my books. I can't believe how I can see the different phases of my life in my book collection. I remembered that I used to keep a bibliography exactly because of that and so decided to do that too, which slowed down the "put it away" process but was really interesting!

Shannon
After months upon months of keeping quiet about watching The Wire, I finally can talk about it! I was so paranoid to ever mention it because it's a fabulous long-arc show from a few years back and I would have been crushed if something out of turn was revealed. No more worrying now! Woohoo!

Suzie

This weekend was all about snow, snow, snow. I did a lot of cleaning, caught up on laundry (finally!) and for the most part ignored the outside world. On a freaky note, things are supposed to warm up here tomorrow and we're supposed to get rain. Yeah, I'm a tad worried about flooding.

Rewind: February 10, 2013

Jamie

This rewind breaks the rules a bit. The picture is new but the content is a big rewind - back to when I was 4 years old! With the studio refresh I was absolutely thrilled to find my kindergarten report card. I've been looking for it for ages because I want to frame it. I just can't believe how I was me then and I'm me now. I am so grateful to my teacher for seeing me and giving me this great gift.

Suzie

It seems to weird now but on the very rare occasion is would snow on Vancouver Island I would run out and take photographs down by the lagoon. Clam shells were transformed by snow. I would find racoon paw prints on my walk there. Today after "the big snow" all I want to do is stay home!

February 9, 2013

Jamie

Yesterday was all about the snow! This is how the day started and it never let up, not a little, not for a moment.  It was actually incredibly beautiful and outside got incredibly quiet, though I know I can say all this because I was able to stay indoors and look at it from my windows and doors. Though, of course, Justin had to get out into it! He really enjoyed going for a walk through our 'hood in the snow!

Shannon
Snow Day! When I woke up early it was snowing. Then I made tea it was still snowing. Later I made lunch.... it was still snowing! When I went to get the mail... still snowing! It did *not* let up all day. What a crazy one. I'm so glad I didn't have to go outside in this crazy weather, they are saying it's the biggest storm since 2000 (when the army came in) and I believe it.

Suzie

Yay! My box of treasures from Jamie arrived yesterday! I love that I was greeting with this fabulous photo of us Jamie. Totally made my day and as soon as I saw the beautiful photograph of spices on the box, I knew it was from you. I also wanted to say that those gifts you got Mom of us almost brought tears to my eyes. It's so us. Thanks for brightening my day in so many ways.

February 8, 2013

Jamie

I so love this picture. It inspired me to include this calendar in my Christmas gift certificate purchases from Mom. Yesterday it inspired me to make huge progress on the studio. I was going absolutely crazy not having a calendar on the wall and I couldn't find this at all! And so I started digging, sorting, reorganizing and now all that's left to be put away are the books, one box of papers and one small box of "stuff". And this beautiful picture, is on my wall.

Shannon
Darmok and Jalad, at Tanagra! I was so excited to see this episode (5.02 Darmok) of Star Trek: The Next Generation pop up in my re-watch yesterday, it's one of the ones that had a profound impact on me for the unique story it told of a race that speaks only in metaphor. I love it! And for once, it's the Federation that are scratching their heads not being able to understand as opposed to not being understood.

Suzie

We went out to get groceries yesterday but it was again, so cold I didn't want to take my camera out. This week's episode of Storage Wars Texas really made me laugh, Victor in particular with his evil Emperor impression.