Give a little peace!

I just put the finishing touches on my Peace Baby pattern and can't wait to share it with you. You'll remember it as my keyhole pullover and beanie with a cause ;0)


As promised, the pattern is available as an instant download in sizes to fit a newborn all the way up to preschooler and is yours free with any donation to support the tremendous work of Doctors Without Borders in refugee camps all over the world.

Get it here from my new cozy little corner of cyberspace (way more on that next time ;0)

Peace to you and yours!

Trick or treat....

...smell my feet, give me something good to eat, not too big, not too small, just the size of Montreal!


It all started in early September when we happened to be at Old Navy when they put out their halloween costumes (that place has the greatest costumes remember this one, and this one - love that place). It was late and julian was a zombie in the stroller and anxious to go home so in retrospect it probably wasn't the best time to introduce the concept of a costume. We thought we'd let him pick, but he was cranky and tired and didn't want any of it so dada and I picked them out and brought them home.

The next morning, while we were having breakfast, I excitedly remembered the costumes in the bag by the door and went to get the fireman costume to show it to him. The look on his face was of total shock and horror and he burst into tears and started pushing the costume back in the bag. He really didn't want to wear it. Heck, he didn't even want to look at it and quite frankly didn't understand why we brought it home from the store. That's when we knew it would be a hard sell ;0)



So we've been building up the costume since, trying to make it cool little by little. First it was all about how much fun it it to pretend and wear costumes -- it's just like on the Backyardigans! Then it was about how cool firemen are and how they spray water from hoses. Then grandma brought some books about firemen from he class (she teaches first grade). And this week it was all of the above everyday! And it worked because as soon as he woke up this morning and told him it was actually today, he couldn't wait to get on his get up :0)


Grandma and grampa came over for supper and to man the fort and give out our candy while we went trick or treating with our neighbours and their kids. Julian was so delighted, the sheer look of joy on his face was so heart-warming as he came down the steps with his bag of candy. I don't even think it was about the candy for him (he didn't even ask for any), it was about the decorations and walking around outside at night with his friends Patrick and Emily!

We hadn't gone half a block when what do we see at the corner of the street but a firetruck with real life firemen! They noticed Julian right away and came over to talk to him about how great his costume was and about how he had good boots to put out fires. They noticed his hat had a fire chief symbol on it and told him how special that was. They let him see their helmets. And then they even let him stand on the truck! It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

And what a bout Lolo? Well he didn't mind his hotdog costume at all so it took less convincing ;0)

Next time: Peace Baby, Baby! Dada needs another weekend to finish the site to host it and I need to go over the pattern a few more times...I don't want any errata in there. But Monday November 5th it is ;0)

Hoot! Hoot!

Every morning at sunrise, the pitter patter of Julian's little feet can be heard across the mezzanine, all the way into our room and around our big bed. He climbs in sleepily and curls up with Stephen, Lolo and I for a little while before daddy is off to work and everyday this summer, he would quite suddenly pop his head up to announce with bursting enthusiasm that he heard an owl! Of course we never saw the said owl. But Julian was just so persistent and sure of himself that we couldn't break it to him that it was actually the morning doves in our maple trees that were hoo-ing like that. So when I came across Lucinda Guy's pattern for Otto the owl a few weeks ago, I knew I had to make one for my Jubilee Bubilee ;0)


Meet Otto the Owl. I knit him with Knit Picks Superwash DK using one ball of each nutmeg, cinnamon and white. I used odds and ends leftover from my peace sweater for the eyes and scarf. He was a cinch to knit up though he ended up limp in the knitting pile a lot because I just didn't feel up to all those fiddly bits. But he's finally done and Julian really loves him. So much so that he actually loved him, hugged him and cuddled with him way back when he only had one eye, no ears and no stuffing! Now that's love, folks ;0)



Here he is relishing in a crate full of apples at a local orchard a few weeks ago. The weather was brilliant and we had a really nice morning of apple-picking with Stephen's sister and fiance who had just gotten engaged the week before. I really had to keep myself from jumping up and down in excitement a lot because I am so thrilled for them! Julian had such fun climbing ladders, riding on a great blue tractor and petting the animals (they had a little petting zoo, too!). And to top it all off, we got to come home with a huge bag full of sweet and crisp apples.

It's amazing how much fun it can be to go out and do things like that with the kids. It's so wonderful to watch them discover new things and delight in every little moment. It really gives you a whole new perspective on the world. We've become so blaze about everything and it just takes an excited toddler to make you see the true wonder that is all around us and that we take for granted daily. I am so thankful for my Jujube and Lolo. They are truly life affirming and I love them so ;0)

Awww...

Giving thanks...

It's almost 1 am. I'm stuffed. But still on a bit of a sugar high. And the caffeine from all those coffees... It can only mean one thing. It's Thanksgiving!


We had a lovely dinner at the in-laws. A nice turkey with all the trimmings and then some. For desert, a little something something I made and brought along: pumpkin cheesecake with whipped cream, caramel and pecans. Actually, my heart is beating faster just remembering. It was delicious. Super impressive looking (don't you love that?) and honest to goodness, probably the simplest cake I ever made! Thank you Kraft Canada, cream cheese, canned pumpkin, pre- crushed graham crackers, cool whip and caramel sauce in an easy squeeze container ;0) Would you believe that this one took less than 30 minutes of active time to make? And it was such a hit everyone thought it was better than pumpkin pie. I know you want to know how to make it so here's the recipe ;0)


Now this was the second day of eating debauchery because yesterday we gave thanks for my sister's cookery skills! She made a traditional "ragout de patte de cochon" which translates literally as pig paw stew. Sounds freaky, I know. In actuality, though, totally freaky good! Let's just say we all ate very well and then for desert, I brought a little something something there too... Apple cheesecake! Also from Kraft Canada (love that site!). I modified the recipe a tad by adding a layer of caramel sauce under the cheesy goodness for extra decadence. A total hit also. You can get the recipe here ;0)

Would this be a bad time to mention that I joined Weight Watchers? I did, like way back at the end of August but I've been such a blogging slacker that I hadn't gotten around to telling you about it yet. I nearly fell off my chair when I found out just how far out range I was for my height and how much I need to lose. I guess I'm one of those lucky people who think they look better than they actually do, heehee! It's true though, sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in a shop window and think, that chubby lady looks familiar and then realise it's me! Anywho, I'm actually enjoying the WW plan. It's simple. It works. I'm optimistic ;0)

This weekend though...total right off! It's all soup and egg substitute frittata for the rest of the week to make up for it. Good thing I enjoy those too!

Okay, okay! I know some of you are wondering about the knitting and the peace sweater... but sadly, I got nothin'! Not because I haven't been working on either. It's just that it's all become very complicated and I want to do it right. My original plan was to charge for the pattern and then write a check to Doctor's Without Borders (aka Knitters Without Borders) but when I mentioned this to my father in law he was really worried about the tax implications for me and I just can't afford the liability so I've contacted the fundraising people for the organisation about the best way to make sure they get all the money and that I don't have a personal income tax nightmare on my hands and am waiting to hear back...

I'd also like to host the pattern on my own site and it turns out that's a lot of work too ;0)

But I've set a cold hard date for the launch: November 1st!

I hope you'll bear with me and stay tuned...

Cheers!