December 31, 2016

Suzie

Remember that piece I was commissioned to make? Here it is! I finally had time and energy to put all the elements together. It can be worn as a necklace or a brooch.

December 28, 2016

Suzie

Spent the day making Pīrāgi for the kung fu party and they were a big hit!

December 27, 2016

Suzie

They made it!!! Oh the weather truly was frightful but they drove through it to come hang out with us for the afternoon. It was awesome! Just like old times.

December 25, 2016

Suzie

I just took this photo because it was just too festive not to and hey, it's a Shannon photo! Our tree and the TV, with the Yule log on it, in front of our real fireplace, LOL. Too funny. Well I survived Christmas Eve dinner and the Christmas casserole is in the fridge. I was one slice of cheese short which is kind of funny, just added some other cheese instead. Just gotta roll with it.

Hope you both have a very Merry Christmas and I miss you so much!

December 24, 2016

Shannon
My pen literally ran out as I wrote the date for my morning pages. It's *definitely* time to be officially in holiday mode.

Suzie

I thought I would finally have a day at home but nope! Reg's kung fu school had a performance which was great and afterwards we stopped by the market, then went out to London Drugs... OMG, I think everything for Christmas is finally done. Now there is tons of cooking and baking ahead but maybe I can sneak a nap in there somewhere.

December 23, 2016

Jamie

Yesterday was my traditional "wrap stocking stuffers and watch King Arthur" day. It took a while for the kittens to take interest but eventually, they were right there a part of the action - my little elves.

Shannon
Okay, I think I've done way to many successive posts of the view being the TV, haha! I guess that's where I have energy to pull out my phone these days. And this time it was wrapping marathon and Harry Potter. It's funny, I thought I would finish Lord of the Rings, and then I thought I would watch Elf, but when it came down to it I wanted to watch Harry Potter. But, all that said. It's good to have choice! And it's good to wrap presents!

Suzie

Getting the car out of the ice and snow is unbelievably stressful but we got out and got to the bank, bought booze (mostly for cooking) and holiday food. So glad that is over! Still have to go out tomorrow and pick up some treats for Reg and some veggies but OMG, can't wait to get some rest. And by rest I mean cooking and baking non-stop for the next few days. Better than everything else we've been doing!

December 22, 2016

Jamie

We are deep in the Christmas prep and I spent my day shopping, tidying and doing finances too, hehe. Also, enjoying this lovely gift from lovely Laura in the studio community - and Journal Club! It feels like the perfect way to celebrate what has truly been "the year of the journal."

Shannon
Cookie making continues! Double batch and The Two Towers, and if you can believe it... there was still 40 minutes left of the film after making all the cookies *and* cleaning up. Those extended editions are loooooooooooooooong.

Suzie

We haven't had a chance to do any Christmas shopping for each other so Reg drove us out to Coquitlam Centre. I really like that mall, mostly because it's quite spacious and less stressful than the complicated mega mall near us. I just couldn't go there. So off to Coquitlam we went and did an hour of shopping. I'm not happy with the stuff I got. It's just OK, nothing special or interesting. At least we did something that was kind of fun but I'm so sick that it was still really hard. All I really want for Christmas is rest.

December 21, 2016

Jamie

Well, this month has had its challenges but yesterday was awesome. Justin and I finally had the chance to go on the birthday date we had originally planned. We went to the Mystical Landscapes exhibit at the ROM, which absolutely blew us away. I'm still thinking about it! And then we went for coffee and a cat cafe! It was fascinating. Then we went to a wonderful cozy restaurant called Woodlot had one of the best meals ever! Every minute was totally worth waiting for.

Shannon
I have a very early start (for me) for the day and did some out and about shopping. It's wild that some places were pretty quiet and others were crazy. It was nice to see lots of the holiday energy and decorations out there. I can't believe it's so close to Christmas! I still have more cookies to make! That's probably the big item o tomorrow's to do list.

Suzie

Another cleaning day from hell.

December 20, 2016

Shannon
Potentially boring photo (didn't take many today!), and you can't tell by this image but I actually took this and then sifted through Instagram filters to see if there was still a spot noticiable on this shirt because I wasn't sure if it stained or not. You cant' tell here, but I did spot the spot with a filter, and then was able to spritz the shirt and pop it back in the wash. Amazing what you can do with technology these days!

Suzie

Another rough day but at least the tree is up!

December 19, 2016

Shannon
I had several pics to choose from this weekend (which is exciting in it of itself!), but many had spoiler elements. I thought it would be safe to share Lord of the Rings and cookies, because we both know all about them! I actually didn't realize until I put Lord of the Rings on that it is my traditional watch-along while I make oodles and oodles of cookies. I only did a single batch so I was done by You SHALL Not PASS! and could rest a bit. And, y'know, like... get weepy.

Suzie

A crazy weekend of snowstorms and not being sure if we can go to the two parties we were invited to. We ended up at Reg's acting school's party because someone offered to give up a ride. No way we could get our back out of the back alley with all that ice and snow. It was a great party. Reg got to perform music and we all got to watch screenings from the screen study class Reg was in.

December 17, 2016

Shannon
I love doing test pages. I love them even more when I have a new project in mind. I'm trying not to get overly excited about some 2017 projecty things, but I also can't help be excited if I'm excited! Whelp, we'll see what happens. Probably won't have time to work on it til the new year anyhoo.

Suzie

You know it bloody cold when you have to take a hammer to all the ice jamming up your way out to the car so you can finally get rid of a ton of donations, as well as bring groceries home. So glad all that crap is done.

December 16, 2016

Shannon
Long day and another snowy one! I was so glad I checked the weather and made it out and back before the snow came in and it really came in. So pretty! I'm glad it didn't last all day though, hopefully it will be manageable out there tomorrow.

Suzie

This is what my hell looks like.

December 15, 2016

Shannon
Highlight of the day was definitely getting to hang out with Jamie! So great to have tea, catch up and do some belated birthday celebrating. AND I was also really happy that my place actually feels clean enough that more impromptu-y hanging out was a-okay! WoohoO!

Suzie

Done! And was gripped with a brutal headache followed by a sore throat. I have once again caught a cold from Reg and will probably be sick for Christmas. That just about sums up my year!

December 14, 2016

Shannon
I have fun getting in the holiday spirit and watching Rudolph. I realize by this point I pretty much know it off by heart after watching it year after year, and that is just fine by me. It's usually one of my cookie-making watches but I wasn't quite up to the dough in oven over and over again. Maybe later this week!

Suzie

We had to go out to get stuff at Canadian Tire to deal with our "issue" and I love when you can see Vancouver Island across the water. I just loved living there. Feels like a million years ago.

December 13, 2016

Shannon
I wasn't exactly fun to get out in the snow, but it actually looks like I was having fun! But just groceries, got out to get them while it stays snowy and not icy. It was veeeeeeeeeery quiet at the store, that's for sure!

Suzie

Oh I am so glad we did stART today! It's got me inspired, thinking about what I want to do next year and maybe let go of some things I no long want or need. I'm also going to share this photograph of my rice cube with Gastropost! They are looking for kitchen gadgets. I love having fun with food.

December 12, 2016

Jamie 

As a birthday gift, David & Sylvia got me a ticket to choirs charity event at the AGO last night. We sang Give a Little Bit and it really touched my heart. I didn't get out to choir nearly as much as I would have liked in 2016. It's definitely on my priority list for 2017!

Shannon
And the winter weather proper begins. It was beautiful to see the snow falling gently all day Sunday, but I wonder what it will be like tomorrow and here on it. I guess it's time for me to check the weather a few days ahead of time to see if I will be able to get out in it. We'll see!

Suzie

My life without a dishwasher on the weekend was miserable. So was the weather. So much snow and ice. It's heartbreaking for me but I'm happy to announce Reg fixed the machine, meaning, he plugged it back in. Looks like I loosened the connection under the counter by accident. My friend Mike fixed my site which went all wonky. All these great people saving me but I don't want the drama or the stress.

December 10, 2016

Jamie

I am pouring everything I have into getting ready for the new season at the studio. Thank goodness Shannon has been helping. At 5:00 am a couple of men were talking right outside our house and it woke us up. I ended up just getting up and working straight through 9:00. I was glad to get a break in the day to go to the post office and get all of these journals in the mail to Jessie at The Joy Collective. She'll be taking them with her to Uganda in the new year and giving them to girls in her community.

Suzie

I had the crappiest day. Thank goodness I had a yummy lunch because everything sucked rocks.

December 9, 2016

Jamie

Thank you so much, Suzie, for Lynda Barry's book. When I look at even the cover it makes me think of hwen I was a girl and in books like this I would look so closely at every page, drinking in every image and noticing every detail. I'm excited to have that kind of look at this book!

Shannon
I'm continuing to try and read some poetry, and this is the second from this years Governor General's list that I've tried. I was so excited about the cover, it felt very fantasy-meets-reality but the poems are all very centred in reality and quite serious dealing with love, loss and addiction. It's amazing how emotionally charged just a few words on a line can be. This one was a very intense read, but also had some lighter-'n-clever ones including one that was in the style of airline flight announcement about marrying the person to your left. That one really got me. I wonder what I'll read next.

Suzie

Remember that sketchy place I was telling you about in my hood that you can get booze at? Looks like they are opening up a big store soon. At first I was excited but then I thought, well, they might not sell the wine I like and having a big liquor store in the hood might not be a great thing? I took this photo on my way to the library across lots of ice. We do not have the infrastructure for this weather so damn it, warm up!!! Only for the last season of Downton Abbey the day before a huge snowstorm would I make this trek.

December 8, 2016

Jamie

Thank you both for the lovely birthday wishes yesterday! It ended up being a very quiet day at home because Justin still has the stomach flu. We spent the day curled up on the couch and watching movies. That gave me lots of creative time! My journal is continuing to be my go-to home for my creative impulses. At this rate, I'll be starting another new one before the new year!

Shannon
While I had lunch I watched some Creative Bug videos, and every time I do this it reminds me of when we all watched them together! Good memories :)

Suzie

Had a crazy-busy day getting to see the specialist (finally!) and he has no idea what's wrong with me either. Sigh... And his office was on a street that breaks into three parts and moves too and was next to impossible to find. Thank goodness we got there early. I hope you had a wonderful birthday Jamie!!!

December 7, 2016

Shannon
Today was a combo of resting and catch up with a few things, and one thing I'm working towards is being up to date with the vlogs and books reviews that I want to have done by the end of the year (I know, I know .. I go through this every year whether it's film or books or some other thing!). That said, I'm actually pretty on track with things and if everything goes according to plan I should be up today before the holidays (woohoo!). And that is the plan! The big plan! And I know my eyes are closed for one of the pics, but for some reason I still really like it.

Suzie

I wasn't going to go out but I needed frozen fruit for smoothies so I started walking and OMG, icy!!! I was going to turn around and go home but I realized I no longer walk on streets with cars. I am on a sidewalk so if I fall, I fall. I won't be hit by a car. Then I was fine! I put panic away, took my time and even took some photographs of rare snowmen in the hood. We don't get snow a lot so you gotta get out and enjoy it while it is here. Hey, did I actually just write that? LOL. It's true though. But I'll be even happier when it's all gone!!!

December 6, 2016

Jamie

Hanging out with the two of you and Pee-Wee was absolutely the highlight of yesterday. It's a bit tough over here with Justin having the stomach flu and me trying so hard to get the studio winter launched! Thanks for the giggles and laughter.

Shannon
Omg, today was so much fun to hang out together and watch the Pee Wee movie! And I only just realzied that it wasn't actually holiday (i.e. Christmas) themed, hahaha. Art and Netflix is sooooooooooooooo much fun. I am so glad we are doing it :)

Suzie

Had so much fun today watching Pee-Wee's Big Holiday with you two! Perfect way to spend a snow day.

December 5, 2016

Jamie

Wow, what a great celebration! Yesterday was so much fun with two birthdays and some Christmas too.  Shannon was an amazing host, even making two cakes for the event. I am devouring this raspberry special. Thank you, Shannon! (Yes, I had some for breakfast too) Plus we got to put up and decorate a tree too. A fabulous day!

Shannon
Birthday celebration time! Two cakes for two birthday celebrants: Jamie and Dad! I made a cake for each of them, chocolate raspberry for Jamie and cocolate-vanilla-cherry for Dad. Of course, we all had a piece of each in the end. It was a day full of good company and started the holidays off in a wonderful way. Plus: Christmas Tree! I'm sure I will share many pictures of that through the month!!!

Suzie

My big adventure this weekend was getting out to the Etsy Market in North Vancouver. I had only a couple of hours of daylight and had to take a bus, the Skytrain and then the Seabus across the water to North Vancouver which shocked me that I could do on the weekend in less than an hour. It was a fun event and I am happy with my coverage. I ended up meeting some pretty cool people too and eating the most fabulous spiced truffle on the way home. Did not start raining until I got back into the city. For here, that's pretty damn good.

December 2, 2016

Shannon
You know you are busy when you don't have many pictures beyond dwindling bowls of clementines. Don't worry... I already when out and bought a second box which are happily hanging out in my fridge. Might be good for the month. Or a week. Or a few days..... :)

Suzie

Back to weird days. Had a guy say he was there to fix the roof and wanted to see if there was any leaking and I was like, no and you're not coming in here... Landlord is very upset. Not his roof guy and was glad I didn't let him inside. Then we had drama inside the house (shudder) and had to get groceries which took forever. But these mini tortillas are adorable!