New Years Resolutions

Perhaps Zeke's New Years resolution is to take up knitting? He seems very interested in the stitch patterns!

Walk with a steady foot, and know that you are part of something bigger. Does your step make a difference?

I've just finished reading the "100 mile diet", and I am now obsessed with eating locally. A couple of days ago I was wandering around the local big box grocery store, and I realize I have no idea where any of the food I bought came from. I recall a conversation I had not that long ago about how it's now legal to raise chickens in your back yard in Vancouver....and there is nothing like a fresh egg. When leaving for Africa, I was aprehensive to say the least about what I would be eating, and yet I have never eaten better....most meals included a fresh egg, laid only that morning, and I have yet to taste a pinneaple that was as sweet and juicy as one that has been pulled that morning just before eating. The thing is I knew where the food came from. (the back yard usually!) I had never thought much about vanilla, or where it came from...yet harvested my own vanilla pod from outside my window. When thinking of Africa, one thinks of starvation and malnutrition....yet there is plenty of food. Globalization means redistribution of food to those who don't need it, from those who do. Eating locally can have massive impact on world hunger, let alone environmental sustainability. Yes, I'm not going to eat local 100%....probably not even 10%, but maybe I'll search out some local eggs, hit the farmers market more frequently then the grocery store, and I've already discovered that buffalo meat from Salt Spring is far tastier then ground beef from the local big box!

How cute is this!

So, I've just taken a much needed week off work (can we say hanging by a thread) and I can't believe it's already Friday! It's not like me to spend (most) of a holiday week at home, but I've done so and have been wildly busy.
First, I jetted off to the thriving metropolis of Whitecourt to visit the new baby. Can I just say, small towns are NOT my thing. Anyways, I had knitting to deliver, and that I did. (seeing that kid's closet, she is certain to be the best dressed kid around!)Ok, so she's not the happiest there but it shows off nicely!
Here's a happier shot:


Oh yeah, and guess what, she's a knitter!


I came home Tuesday, picked up the dog, and proceeded to tear apart my kitchen. Ok, that might be slight exaggeration; what actually happened was, Tuesday night I decided to rip out the kitchen and install a whole new one. Wednesday morning I decided just to rip out some cabinets, cut a whole in the wall and install some open shelving. By Wednesday afternoon, it was simply paint the cabinets, leave everything where it was and get new hardware. I started painting, left it to dry- and woke up to paint that washed off the cabinets with only water. After some modifications, we are back on track, and I think it will look great- and very modern! (black cabinets with steel hardware). I might actually be motivated to pick one of the colours from the paint chips that have been taped to my living room wall FOR A YEAR NOW! (I keep telling people it's my version of art, but they don't believe me!)
There has been lot's of other knitting going on (sweaters for each of my neices and my nephew, as well as for my 2 special buddies next door), and I finished Zane's sweater (about 2 months ago, so old news I guess). I will take pictures and post! My next project will be something for me- a friend was in Ireland last june, and brought me back wool...I just need to figure out what I want it to look like!
Back to painting!

I'm an Auntie (for the third time). Don't know the name yet, and she's just over 7lbs. (yeah ok, details are not my strong point). The needles are busy, and I even bought pink yarn.(for those that don't know, I'm allergic to pink)

I think I need to blog more.

Just a quick one today. Not much to report. Had a great vacation to the Cabin (northern Saskatchewan) and am wishing I had something else booked. That was my ONLY vacation this year...poor planning on my part.
In the meantime, here's a photo of Super Dog...I think he likes the water!

Every weekend should be a long weekend!

Happy May long weekend!
This was by far the best weekend I have had in a long time!!!!!
But first some knitting...can't remember if I posted this yet, so here it is. I love this sweater, and I am so happy with how it turned out!

It's been sitting on my dinning room table now for several weeks, so I will get it in the mail tomorrow! ( I finally was smart and started something one size bigger then what the kid is wearing....she'll have grown out of it by the time it's sent!)
Ok, back to the weekend. Saturday was HOT! The occasion called for the breaking out of the barbque (after, of course, moving the old hot water tank off of the deck) We had a fire and made smores...it was great! The local 4 year old artist was also hard at work, and left us with this at the end of the night:
The only down side was that he kept trying to dump everyone's beer so he could incorporate another can in the sculpture. I suppose an artist's creative inclination should never be held back!








Sunday we took little Z to the beach, where we got to run on the mud flats...then swim back. (going out at low tide always means the tide will be rising...must remember that for next time!) It was great, and I've never seen him swim like that before. I didn't get any pics on my camera, but my friend did, so I will post when I get them.
Sunday afternoon was spend being lazy....I knit while the 2 Z's did this:Today of course was cold and rainy, but this didn't stop us from going back to the beach...paying attention of course that the tide was going out, not in. This is certainly my new favorite summer thing to do!
Back to work tomorrow!