November 30, 2015

Jamie 

The pipes are finally complete and this weekend we started the process of getting the house back in order. We're all exhausted, so it was also good to take some time for enjoyment and rest. Justin and I went to the local park to watch the tree lighting - yay - and then came home for hot chocolate and oatmeal cookies!

 

Shannon
One of the things I've been enjoying recently is playing Spooky's House of Jump Scares. It looks crazy old-school, has extremely simple functions, and doesn't take long to play a little bit and feel like a fun little break. You literally just go from room to room to room, and occasionally something jumps out (or tries to kill you). It's nice to have something goofy and silly, even if it's pop scares!

P.S. Sorry I've not been posting as of late, things have been a little crazy! Hope to be more timely this week :)

Suzie

I was the official photographer for Reg's kung fu school performance on the weekend! And OMG, it was exhausting and tough but awesome. I did a lot of running around, changing angles and stressing I would run out of space on my memory card but it's all good. Although I am crazy-sore today. Photographing food is much easier but this was a fantastic challenge and I learned a lot.

November 28, 2015

Jamie

Yesterday, as Shannon and I were hanging out, Scout jumped up on the couch, curled up and joined us! This is a first! Sometimes one of the cats might be on the couch and they might stay there when we arrive but he definitely wanted to hangout. He sat there purring and enjoying pets for the entire show. I'm looking forward to more moments like this!

Suzie

We hosted another epic D&D night and had a blast! There were so many snacks though that I was the only one who ate the creamy dill popcorn but that's OK. I really liked it so more for me! It's been amazing having people over.

November 27, 2015

Jamie

Yesterday I was filming a new Creative Living Bookshelf and Shibumi hung out. She's in love with these spongy soccer balls we bought and her new favourite thing is playing fetch, especially when the balls bounce down the stairs! It's hard to say if she's doing better. Her tests show that there's no bacterial infection. We just have to keep trying new food and using some Feliway spray to soothe her stressed out nerves.

November 26, 2015

Jamie

Gosh, it was so nice to take a day off on Wednesday, especially after all of the work on the pipes (which isn't quite finished but the end is in sight). We went to the Turner exhibit at the AGO and it was remarkable. There were paintings, like this one, that would draw you from across the room with their light and beauty. I'm glad too that we were able to get home early enough to give Dad a call to celebrate his birthday!

Suzie

Reg and I got out to see an improv D&D group at The Rio which we have been wanting to check out FOREVER! I put together a mashup of the fun stuff that happened that night. We would have bumped into people we knew but they were gaming that night, LOL.

November 24, 2015

Suzie

I posted my recent Gourmet Club post and video. People kept asking for more and more recipes but I am starting to think that isn't where the energy is. This was delicious though and I do hope people try it.

November 21, 2015

Suzie

Reg HATES peeling hard boiled eggs so he attempted this technique to see what would happen. With varying results! The only exciting thing that was supposed to happen was D&D at our place but it got cancelled. Ugh. Spent all day cleaning the house!

November 20, 2015

Shannon
The sugar after the storm. Awesome donut that was ...creme filled, banana, dulce delecte, coconut and at least 1 other thing. Really nice after the long day.

Suzie

As you both know I have a crazy-stressful day so I was glad to escape reality for a while and get to D&D where I broke a window, fell out of a window and could not bust my way through a closed door. That said, I am the one attacking the witch with green skin and white hair. Soon after this moment the minotaur came through the wall pushing me into the witch! Good times...

November 19, 2015

Jamie

I know you've seen this picture but there really isn't anything that better captures yesterday than this. A thin layer of disintegrating concrete over the sandy dirt of our home and the broken pipe that is now being prepared. You can clearly see why we need to keep the kittens contained, even though they find that stressful too. We spent the night with all three kittens closed in our bedroom. It went better than expected, truthfully, but I know that everyone will be looking forward to getting things back to normal. Hopefully better than normal with the pipes all fixed. Though this spare room will be pretty much unusable for a while.

Shannon
My set up for while things are in transition. It feels good to have the computer up and running, but I have to be careful not to spend too much time at it. It was nice to hang out with Jamie and the kittens (2 of 3 at least) which some of the craziness was going on, which thankfully wasn't that loud and I even nodded off with kitties right beside me :)



Not my best video but it is a super-fast tutorial on how to make your own homemade dashi. We also went out to enjoy the sunshine today. Been gone way too long.

November 18, 2015

Jamie

Yesterday was a pretty intense day. Hours and hours of working to get Planning Day ready and other work done and hours of getting the house ready for pipe replacement. This is a very intense week. Hanging out with the kittens is a welcome respite.

Shannon
Packing done and the room is clear. It feels really weird to see the whole room clear, and I totally forgot to take a picture of it that way (oops!). I hope all goes well with the drains. *fingers crossed*

Suzie

I have been trying to get over a bad food experience so I decided to make my own dashi which is a Japanese broth made with seaweed and bonito (tuna) flakes. It is the base for good traditional miso soup which I have been wanting to make. This is as far as I got. Hope I can make the miso soup soon!

November 17, 2015

Jamie

Scout has taken to spending my entire coaching days with me. He loves to sit on the chair and hang out as I work with my clients. It's such a treat to have him right here with me, especially on cold days, LOL! He's a little heater :)

Shannon
Working though so many things in stages these days, and in the past couple of days I've been doing that by shredding a bunch of old documents. I wanted a bunch of action movies on captioning to keep me busy as I heard the motor of the shredder whirl and whirl and whirl.

Suzie

I had my art class and we did a lot of masking of trees and stars which right now in this image look grey. Next time we go we'll take off the fluid and it'll be white. We'll keep the stars white but make the trees dark. Going dark with watercolours is such a challenge, they go on so pale. I might have to bring in my own next time.

November 16, 2015

Jamie 

This weekend has really been all about preparing for our pipes being dug up and replaced. That's started a chain of events, including Shannon getting packed up and me going through all the boxes I brought home from Mom's. Some of this stuff is for me but the majority is stuff that we knew should be saved and didn't have time to sort through. So I've been sorting. I'm looking forward to sharing some of the photos because there have been real treasures tucked in here. Maybe next Sunday will be all about scanning!

 

Suzie

After an incredibly dark and stormy week the light finally came back and I got out to have some fun playing D&D Sunday night. Played a new level 1 character I didn't give a damn about and it was awesome.

November 11, 2015

Jamie

It was so great to hang out yesterday for stART and to have a good chat afterwards. Suzie, I'm so glad I could bring you up close and personal with the webcam to Scout and Escher!

 

Suzie

Other than doing start and groceries, I finally got this post up on my foodie blog. I bought the platter and cover for my jewelry photos but who says I can't use them for my food photos? What a busy day it was yesterday. Thanks for being so great.

November 10, 2015

Shannon
I didn't take many pictures today, but I did snag this one of the cabbage casserole before it went into the oven. It's funny how this 4-ingredient recipe (ground beef, cabbage, tomato soup and kidney beans) has now increased to 6-ingredients (mushrooms and onions). And switching to bagged coleslaw is a huge time saver and hand saver, I'm happy to chop stuff generally but cabbages are so HUGE. And heavy. Less work for the win on that one. Overall, it turned out pretty yummy!

Suzie

I finally felt like I had a breakthrough in art class on Monday. I can't seem to paint a landscape but penguins? Yay! I am learning to be patient and work in layers, let things dry and see what happens. I also used masking fluid for the first time which was interesting. The face of the penguin was the hardest part. Still not 100% about it but the class really liked it and the teacher, in particular, which meant so much to me. I kept the landscape very minimalist because, well, it's the Antarctic! It's white, LOL. I even have a friend who is interested in buying the painting. Can you believe it?

November 9, 2015

Shannon
After packing ALL of my movies up, I realized that I just wasn't okay with the Star Wars movies being packed up. So, I dove back in and found all 6 of them. With the new movie coming out in December, it's inevitable that I will want to rewatch them all so I started in with the original Star Wars. It makes way more sense to watch it from Episode 1 - 6, but I didn't care. I wanted to watch Star Wars, so I did! I don't think I've seen it for at least 10 years, and it was wild to see what I understood a little better this time. There is always more to learn, and to enjoy :) Now...do I go to Phantom Menace, or Empire Strikes Back? Decisions, decisions....

Suzie

We celebrated Reg's birthday all day but the highlight was going to our favourite geek pub for dinner. You see the door behind Reg? It's the kitchen or should I say, Moria, LOL. Reg even got a free birthday shot. It was worth taking the bus!

November 7, 2015

Suzie

I seem to have replace jewelry-making with textiles. I came up with this idea to use my light box as a way to transfer an image (temporarily) to a shirt so that I can outline it in puffy paint. Worked like a charm! I love how puffy paint is a lot like royal icing. It's not perfect but not too shabby.

November 6, 2015

Jamie 

Yesterday I spent the last afternoon and evening starting to compile the collage packages for the BtS giveaway. It was so wonderful to put these together. As I started laying out the images they fell almost like tarot cards. I started to notice trends in each pile or the way that one image fell beside another. I hope that the women who receive them feel the magic too and that the images in these envelopes take them on a journey.

Shannon
This time when I was out kicking fall leaves as I walked around, I *did* remember to take a picture! Not that you could tell it was fall by the weather, at it reached 20C.

Suzie

I have been looking for motivation to get back into crocheting and Reg having an owl familiar named "Bear" did it. He isn't quite done, I still need to make his feet but he is getting there. I didn't think either one of us was going to make D&D but Reg got home early and I finally woke up from a nap and we did it! Got some very nice compliments on the little guy too.

November 5, 2015

Jamie

I'm finalizing all the images to send out to the BTS giveaway winners. I was so moved by what everyone shared and am thrilled to be sending within Canada, the US, England, France, Germany & South Africa! How cool is that?

Shannon
It was really exciting to watch the news coverage today showing gender parity with the new cabinet ministers announcement and swearing in, on the first day of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister. There were lots of inspiring stories about the people who were chosen, and I'm very curious to dive in and read more about them.

Suzie

It was a dark day here so I went out for a walk to a market I have discovered and love and saw this when I came home. I love old buildings and this giant shed (especially for Vancouver standards) just stopped me in my tracks. Came home and did some more video for the gourmet club. Gourmet food is very time consuming but I am enjoying it.

November 4, 2015

Jamie 

Yesterday was the four month anniversary of bringing the kittens home. This picture is a good indicator of just how far we've come. Yesterday I managed to have a good cuddle with each of the kittens, even Escher. They feel like such a part of the family that I find it hard to imagine that it's only been four months. In that time we've already built so many memories together.

 

Shannon
I was hoping that this 'before' pic would be side by side by the end of the day with a spectacular 'after'. I did make good progress today including clearing off the desk, but most of what got cleared was inside the desk therefore no spectacular after image. Still, every step done is a good one so I'm going to carry that through as I keep working on clearing, cleaning and packing :)

Suzie

After going to my dentist in Coquitlam, Reg and I drove up to our old hood on the mountain. It was unbelievably gorgeous, just as we remember it to be. Even though life was hard up there, it was always breathtakingly beautiful. It gives me hope that no matter what life has in store for us, we will find a way to be OK and to live life fully.

November 3, 2015

Jamie

There's been so much going on, so much to get done and move forward, that I'm trying to really get back to my morning pages so that I have a time to clear my head and heart. Sometimes I'm only making a page or a paragraph but that's something.

Shannon
This almost feels like an outtake rather than a real picture of the day. I mean, it happened...but ... not really focusing on one thing but rather a moment of the day, a time in the middle of the day where I took a break to watch some Star Trek and was entertained by the cats running around.

Suzie

In some ways class on Monday was just fine. What surprises me is how little connected I am to doing nature art. I did some foodie art first and loved that but I just don't connect with nature these days and that makes me sad. I also realized that the slump my foodie site is going through is hurting me deeply. I came home and went to bed, exhausted.

November 2, 2015

Jamie

This week I treated myself to the new Just Dance! So far I haven't fallen in love with it the way I have the earlier versions but I am totally in love with getting to dance with Shannon!

Shannon
Art Day-ing :)

Suzie

Reg was out so I had the afternoon to do some foodie projects like roast some pumpkin seeds. It was so dark and rainy I had to take them outside to get a decent photograph. It was even more challenging doing a video tutorial! I am determined to keep doing videos despite the chronic darkness of the west coast. Hope you both had a wonderful Halloween!

November 1, 2015

Jamie

Things have been so exhausting lately that we decided to be a bit gentler in our Halloween celebrations and it turned out that was just exactly perfect. A good crockpot meal that didn't take too long to get sorted, "the mushrooms" from Shannon, a tidied up house with our favourite decorations about - and even some new friends and costume pieces - and fun movies to boot. It was a truly wonderful day.

Shannon
I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! I had a great time chilling out with Jamie and Justin, watching movies and wearing fun Halloween hats, including this awesome Smurf hat. Smurfalicious!

Suzie

Halloween was rushed, stressful but awesome. The rain cleared up just enough for the trick or treaters to get their loot and we had at least +40 kids! The fireworks were insane and then the rain came back with a vengeance. It was crazy!