October 31, 2015

Shannon
I feel like I should be posting something Halloween-y, but what I got is just a pic of the nice view! It's weird to have things so clean and cleared away. Good weird. Likely unsettlingly good though because I tend to like have, ... a lot of stuff. Maybe heading into this new year after Samhain I will feel differently about that. We'll see! And btw, I know to a lot of people this would appear messy, but for me it's almost immaculate!

October 30, 2015

Shannon
After lots of help from Jamie and Justin we got all the glass cleaned up and a HUGE section of the room all packed up. It's amazing! I am so grateful to have such awesome help and support. *happy sigh*

Suzie

Despite getting little sleep, I had quite a wonderful day. The sun came out surprisingly (it is supposed to be rainy forever) so I got outside and walked to my community centre and signed up for an art class next week. It is just one workshop and might get cancelled because there are only two people signed up (including me) but I am literally putting myself out there. I hope you both had a much better day today. I was thinking about you two a lot.

October 29, 2015

Jamie

Yesterday was another challenging day. We had people come in to take a look at the drains and it turns out a root has busted through a pipe, which means it must be replaced. That means digging up the floor through the spare room and all down the driveway. It's a bit overwhelming. Moments of calm in the studio with the kittens yesterday was just what I needed for the jangled nerves. That and chocolate, which Shannon was kind enough to bring!

Shannon
So.... this is is what happens when glass shatters everywhere after the bookshelf falls again when I start packing and start from the bottom. You'd think after the 4 other times it's happened I would have not taking any more chances! Sigh.

Suzie

Yesterday was so dark and miserable and I was on my own. I stood in the kitchen and felt like everything was spinning around me. I felt like the universe was asking me, what the hell are you doing with your life Suzie? My answer was to make Reg cookies. Anna Olson cookies, to be exact. Life has been so chaotic, challenging and hard that to make cookies for someone you love is truly a powerful act.

October 28, 2015

Shannon
I am kicking myself a little for not taking a picture of myself kicking through autumn leaves yesterday, but I did get out and one of the things I did was get stamps! It had been on my to do list forever. The last set I got was dinosaurs, and since then I have always picked fun ones. This time I went with these creepy Haunted Canada ones, although the skullwoman might be a little too creepy for Christmas Cards, lol.

Suzie

I am really trying to ramp up my foodie game. You see that wooden board? I found one at a thrift store for $2 and went home and painted it. So many foodie photos that I love have a dark board like this so I made one and I am beyond thrilled with how it turned out. Also went out to a market and got fresh food so I could make this awesome Spicy Sausage Sauce for this pasta dish. I hope this means I have come around a corner with food because I really need to feel like something is happening there.

October 28, 2015

Jamie

We had a pretty tough day yesterday. The pipes backed up and instead of having a gentle, quiet day like I had hopped, I was moving, mopping and bleaching. I'm glad that Justin and I took a moment to get out for a walk in the evening. Some movement and fresh air always help dissipate the energy.

October 27, 2015

Jamie

Mondays are such busy days in the studio - working with clients, leading Circe's Circle. It's been a joy to have some kitten visitors (except for when they are into everything!) Yesterday Scout sat behind me for almost all of my calls in the morning and in the afternoon, Escher curled up on the grey chair and hung out. It's so nice to have cat energy all around.

Shannon
I feel like it's been a while since I've shared a Monday dinner pic, so here is one from spaghetti night!

Suzie

I continue to feel very conflicted about my art class. I still don't feel like I am learning a lot and it takes quite the emotional toll on me. Still, I do like going. It's weird.

October 26, 2015

Jamie

I've been looking for an opportunity to get bulbs in the ground this fall. Yesterday was sunny and the temperature not too bad so I got out there quick as I could! I've planted two kinds of white daffodils and one set of white tulips. Plus Botanus included a bunch of mini yellow daffodils. I was going to give them away but then I literally heard mom saying, "No, I want to see them. Plant them for me." It's amazing how that happens. I feel badly for ignoring the garden the latter half of the summer. Once the kittens came in, I just couldn't tear myself away to get outside! Hopefully this is the beginning of another beautiful season in the backyard.

October 24, 2015

Suzie

Reg and I are trying to play catch up when it comes to our anniversary and getting out and doing some fun stuff together. So we went up Grouse Mountain via a gondola and if that wasn't enough, took the ski lift up to the top. You see that round island looking part? That's downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park. BTW, turns out I am terrified of ski lifts. They look like fun swings but OMG, I had such crazy vertigo. The bears rocked though. The super long wait to get down? Not so awesome. The weather could not have been more perfect though. What a gorgeous day.

October 23, 2015

Jamie

What an absolutely perfect autumn day it was yesterday! Perfect for going up to the doctor's for my yearly medical and good timing for a flu shot! I also stopped into IKEA and chose a new duvet cover. Ours is dark and I wanted to lighten things up. I also got out to the second meeting with a new mastermind group and wow, what a delight :)

Shannon
I'm working on catch up on a few things, including some TV! I finally caught the season opener of Arrow that aired a few weeks back, and wow, it was really good! I really enjoy that show, and the podcast The Arrow Squad. I feel kinda back in the swing of things, yippee!

Suzie

I had a crazy rough day yesterday so Reg took me to a local restaurant and they made me hot chocolate with their milkshake machine which now, of course, I have to try doing.

October 22, 2015

Jamie

Oh, it was so good to be back to Tanya's coworking, especially in her new fabulous environment, including a fireplace and cats. I mean, what could be bad?

Shannon
In the spirit of yesterday being Back to the Future day, I thought I would share a then-and-now type pick. First, an admission. I have been watching Mortal Kombat on Netflix, repeatedly, and enjoying it. If that isn't odd enough... I kept feeling like the guy who plays Johnny Cage felt really familiar. Turns out here is, as he also plays Sheriff Stilinski on Teen Wolf. How after 5 seasons of Teen Wolf I never made this connection, I'll never know.

October 21, 2015

Jamie

It's work, work, work here in the studio these days. Yesterday though it was very exciting to have some toys I've ordered for the kittens arrive. I am excited to bring them out, one by one, and see which ones are favourites!

Shannon
I was doing some contour drawing exercises to get some art in my day. I like drawing leaves a lot. This was actually 2 blind contours on top of each other, but the yellow one barely reads. Cracked into a new sketchbook, although looking at this I can see the pages are so thin you can see the next drawing! Kind of an interesting effect, although it wasn't intended.

October 20, 2015

Jamie

Yesterday was quite a day! After work we all went out together to cast our vote. Then back to our place for a night of pizza and politics! What a change swept across the country. I'm so curious to see where it leads.

Shannon
If ya didn't get to see the speeches, here is Justin Trudeau's acceptance speech, Tom Mulcair's concession speech and Stephen Harper's concession speech. It was an exciting, albeit long, night..CBC has the numbers here which weren't finalized but the time I went all sleepyland. I'll be very curious to see where things go from here.

Suzie

Had another art class on Monday. I do the exercises so quickly that I end up having time on my hands to do other things like this painting of apples from Victoria magazine. I am learning how to let the paint flow into the water and around on its own which is fun to watch and see happen.

October 19, 2015

Jamie

This picture represents now in a couple of ways. One, the kittens are being so cute! It's hard to see but that's all three of them curled up there. Shibumi is the tiny circle on the left. But you can also see that's a rug covering our armchair and that is on top of a garbage bag, both of which are there to protect against Shibumi peeing. Because of her current infection, she's very uncomfortable and has been peeing in undesirable places, particularly on the couch. We have been doing everything we can to get her healthy, make her more comfortable and manage all the clean up. It has been exhausting.

 

Suzie

It was another crazy-busy weekend but I did manage to get some creative time in there. I did this graphic for my Devilled Chicken post. It is so dark now that getting good dinner photos is next to impossible so this way I can at least bring some art and humour to the post. Other than that we were out every night for social events which was amazing! But I really need some at-home time soon.  

October 16, 2015

Suzie

What a stupid day Thursday was. We got up early and waited for our dishwasher to be delivered and nobody came. They are going to come Tuesday instead but I spent the whole day having moved all my stuff away from the dishwasher and not be able to do anything foodie-related and had to wait for something that never even happened. Oh it put me in a terrible mood! I am really tired of being busy and not getting to do things I want to do. It's irritating the hell out of me.

October 15, 2015

Shannon
I can't quite believe it's been 10 years since Twilight. The book, that is. And for it's 10 year anniversary Stephenie Meyer re-wrote the story and swapped the genders. I will get it at some point, but I'm not rushing out to do so because it's a 2-in-1 with Twilight re-written as well so this book is gonna be BIG. I'm resisting, but I know I'm a completist and should just get it. Sigh.

Suzie

Thanks for the laughter at stART sisters! I needed it. We did get to VV but there were no good books left. :( Oh well!

October 14, 2015

Jamie 

Yesterday was really all about Shibumi having a problem with her urinary tract. I had an incredibly busy day with my clients and Circe's Circle being moved because of Thanksgiving. I'm so thankful the vet was able to fit me in at the very beginning of the day. She stayed with them all day so they could get a somple and do some tests. We're really hoping she'll be just fine very soon.

 

Suzie

I worked really hard over the weekend and this morning to finish spooky pieces and photograph them and get them up in the now BOO-tique! I make skull stuff all the time but this is the time people might be more inclined to buy. Thanksgiving weekend was quite busy and stressful. I am looking forward to quieter times but am so happy food is back in the kitchen where it belongs and now I can play with either food or spooky cameos.

October 10, 2015

Jamie

Shibumi is really, really liking my chair. And I am really, really, liking when she sits right behind me when I'm working. What a treat! 

Shannon
This one is a bit random, and comes from the middle of doing some vlogging today. I actually figured out I can take a picture while I'm doing a video. So awesome! A little less awesome is that sometimes it stops the video. I guess I have to be careful where I push to take the pic. It's not the best quality, but will do in a pinch. I actually really like how this one turned out, therefore.. it's the pic of the day!

Suzie

I have decided to try making micro videos. Around 1 minute in length and without me in it. I think my audio is too loud though for the voice overs. It always sounds fine in the headphones but when I hear it on my laptop it's like, woah!!! Not having to worry about makeup, clothes and being in a good mood… I can just setup the tripod, do my thing and add text and audio to it later.

October 9, 2015

Jamie 

Yesterday I spent much of the day immersed in the Give a Girl a Journal initiative. This is getting very real! In fact, the plan is to launch on November 12th. I've already got two donations of bags of journals and that's a great start. I'm working on the process, the packages and inviting people to be a part of sharing it with the world. It's really coming to life!

Suzie

Highlight of my day was definitely chatting with Shannon! Afterwards there was just enough light to photograph some grab bags I put up on Etsy in my boutique. I also got that random email about someone buying my blog and then Amazon Handmade finally agreed to let me sell on their site! What a crazy day it was.

October 8, 2015

Jamie

Treasures!! I feel so blessed. Look at these treats from Suzie. The earrings are beautiful! I knew they were coming and was so excited to wear them for a video. Then there were surprises! Suzie, the necklace is so me! I immediately found a chain for it and wore it too. And wow, that sour gum is actually sour! What fun. Thank you so very much for these gifts and your generosity. All of it brightened up my day!

Shannon
With doing more videos recently with the 31 Days of Horror I thought I would check my stats on YouTube and was suprized to see that now I have more women viewers than men (60/40). It used to be wayyyyyy the other direction. And oddly, I think right now my biggest stat is almost exactly the same demographic as I am, except being geographically in the UK. Wow. Wild!

Suzie

Wednesday had seriously strange energy. I had nightmares all night, like, it was ridiculous. Then I go out to get errands done and stop by VV to get long shirts. I am already sick of my shirts not being long enough and don't know where my body cozies are ATM. Then, I saw them. I keep going through the kitchen section of my store hoping to feel some foodie connection and nothing but then I saw two things I wanted so badly. On the bottom is a large Windsor pot with a heavy duty base, perfect for making sauces. On top, I still can't believe it, is a copper bowl. The last one I saw was just like this at the kitchen wares store in Kensington Market when Mom was sick. That one was $99. Which is typical. This one? $3.99. I really felt like it was a gift from Mom telling me not to give up. I have been weepy about it ever since. I can make my foodie blog work. I just have to figure it out. Give it time. But I am going to which egg whites in that bowl just like Sookie from Gilmore Girls. I have waited ten years for this bowl and I'm not going to let it go to waste.

October 7, 2015

Jamie

The studio is a mess right now but Shibumi doesn't seem to mind! She's sitting on top of this wonderful art set that Justin's brother had lying around and gave to me. It has everything from pencils to paints. It's going to be fun to explore!

Shannon
I was excited to crack open this portable water colour set and try the paints and the waterbrush it came with and oh wow, what a sweet way to have a very low-mess painting session. I had a great time and it exactly fit my low key mood. Fun times.

Suzie

I may not be super inspired in the kitchen lately but taking the class Draw It Like It's Hot has helped keep the foodie love going.

Octoer 6, 2015

Jamie

It's been such a busy time! Monday's are rich and full with wonderful clients and another season of Circe's Circle. Today, right at the end of the day, I went to sit in my seat and Shibumi jumped right up and beat me to it. We ended up having a fantastic cuddle and really enjoying one another's company!

Shannon
It really feels like fall when you can crunch and swish through lots and lots of leaves on the ground.

Suzie

We learned a bit about gradients in art class on Monday. I did this gargoyle from dark to light which apparently is the opposite to how most people do it. Go figure, right?! I don't know how much learning I am doing but it's wonderful to spend the first day of the week doing something artsy. I am shocked at how tired I am from the classes though but it is helping my confidence to go. No class for two weeks though with Thanksgiving around the corner.

October 5, 2015

Suzie

It was a rough weekend. Lots of sadness hit me hard and I almost deleted my food blog. I am going through a tough cycle so thankfully D&D helped a lot. We haven't been in a month and OMG, I can't believe how hard I laughed. I love hanging out with these guys and kicking ass. Who knew such a fragile little magical creature like Amber case so much chaos. I was truly in my element.

October 1, 2015

Shannon
I finally finished Book 1 of War and Peace! There is a lot more to go, but I'm not 25% through and that feels so good. It's such a huge book and I am taking it pretty slow by standards of the other stuff I read but it needs a different energy than other reading. It's been a challenge to figure out the best approach and I've tried a few but I'm going to just keep reading. Plans are good, but that is time I could spend READING! Who am I kidding? I'll always make a plan.

Suzie

Tonight was the (knock on wood) last night at the hospital. I don't think we could have taken much more. Finally over.