gorgeous moments: stopping to look at the garden and pick up some garlic

the premise was an impromptu co-op board decision-quorum-meeting. but the happy consequence was another after-dinner family walk.

the kids got some after-dinner playtime in.

\

then, the wife and i each got 10 minutes to ourselves to drink in the  summer garden blooms.

the gardening committee tends to the gardens; among whom, are some pretty amazing ladies with a sincere love for fostering the beauty that grows.

one of those wonderful ladies gifted me two heads of her very own garlic. and i was so excited as all get out trying to figure out just how to use them in a dish to make sure they sing. (yes, i really am this enthusiastic about homegrown garlic. i've already  made garlic bread, garlic potatoes, and tomorrow, tomato sauce. pesto after). i was also given a single shallot bulb... which is most definitely going into a salad dressing of some kind.

(there are pears growing in the garden, too!)

outside of our little home, in the co-op common grounds, our very humble first-ever-vegetable garden is starting to thrive, finally. 

and "by starting to thrive," i mean, the basil looks like it's finally happy because it's gotten so warm. and apparently, two carrots are growing out of all the seeds the wife dropped in weeks ago. there are three tomato plants, and i am (still) hopeful they will yield a small crop to enjoy. 

(it's the one to the right. the garden to the left is our neighbour's. they are clearly growing more than two carrots.)

apart from herbs, we've never attempted to grow our own food. and by "we," i mean, that i pick the plants, and the wife and son get to do the gardening. i'm just not into earth worms and rolly polly bugs. or digging in dirt, for that matter.

gorgeous, sunny, summery evenings like these painfully remind me to stay in the present. they fleet far and fast through my fingers.


soon enough, we will be engulfed in our usual gray, watery, winter. 

soon enough, the toddler giggles will give way to tweeny, teeny, sarcastic cynicism. the arms that throw themselves up and around us so easily and carelessly will be harder to reach.

soon enough, there will be time to define leisure differently. there will be time enough to grow gardens and clean our home and do things properly.

here i must i must i must stay present. aware. and appreciative. especially for all the things i can choose to leave by the wayside now, so that i can enjoy the all the things that inevitably pass with the all-season wind.

mothering soundbyte: an exercise in patience

the wife, as overheard from my home office yesterday afternoon:

"son, come here. i'm hugging the angry out of you. i'm hugging the angry out of you. i'm hugging the angry out of you. i'm hugging the angry out of you. i'm hugging the angry out of you. i'm hugging the angry out of you."

i love her so.

at marineland, a few weeks ago now.

in case you were wondering...

the ocean beach does make a world of difference.

i can think of no other way to breath wide and really stretch the soul.

 

definitely very much worth the trek. (and a mighty trek it was without a car. a double stroller and a willingness to walk a heck of a long way help though.)

see? 

from the kitchen: root beer float anyone?

1 large clear glass 

+ 3 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream 

+ generous pour of root beer to top the glass 

+ four straws 

= happy slurpy faces all around.

happy friday! 

knit parade on tour: christening set (in which i begin by babbling about knitting and pretending)

so i've already managed to work an entire extra day and a half this week (at the-job-that-pays) and it's only wednesday. there are deadlines you see. and i was feeling all bummed out and broken about the fact that what i submitted wasn't quite what i wanted to submit for review, when i got my feedback and it was all the tiniest knitpicky formatting, terminology, stuff. apparently, the content and overall design of my learning materials were apparently (and i daresay impressively) sound, despite what felt like really grudgy crap work (because what i've been trying to do is squeeze a month of development time into 2 weeks).

so i did a happy dance! and to celebrate, i spent like, a good half an hour pretend-shopping for yarn at my favourite online haunts. i pretend-spent waaaay too much money (whole sweater and shawl yardages worth of the most exquisite yarns for each family member plus some for christmas knitting). which reminded me that i don't have that kind of money to spend. which isn't so much depressing because i'm not even allowed to buy yarn until next year.

except i did. i bought these lovelies in toronto when the wife and i unintentionally-intentionally went yarn crawling about the city.

aren't they purdy? i got the yarn at lettuce knit (where i happened to meet someone very cool and knit-famous who actually knows my pretend-blogger-bff's (soulemama and yarnharlot) and i played it so cool she didn't even know i knew who she was).

now, i only allowed myself to buy these blue moon fiber arts socks that rock beauties because my darling grandmother was so thrilled with the socks i made her, that she gave me some money! i know right? seriously? so naturally, i bought yarn. 

these lovelies are going to be shawl for me. i'm thinking mara or damson but the jury is still out because i have a bunch of hats and mitts and socks to plow through before fall.

and now for a small parade.

the girl's christening set

as you may have gathered, the girl got christened in toronto. i  made her a shrug and a hat for the occasion, my first forays into lace knitting. and i daresay i rather enjoyed it a lot. 

i wasn't crazy about the way the shrug fit. it was hard to get her into it... but love the way it looks. 

(photos taken by one the girl's godmothers)

i made some modifications to the hat pattern, intending it to be a bit more suited to the ensemble.

i wish i could show it to you... and i will, once i find it. (we haven't quite gotten organized since we've gotten back. on the list of things to do. right after the everyday stuff and the six load of laundry we always manage pile up by this time in the week.)

but the girl didn't end up wearing it at all anyway. firstly, it was an insanely hot day in toronto. secondly, the priest did not ask for it. which is a bit odd because he asked us for cap when the boy was being christened and we didn't have one. which is why i knit the hat in the first place. i'm hoping the hat will fit at least until the spring. because you know what they say about wearing white after labour day. 

the yarn i used was elisabeth lavold silky wool. and don't you know my love for silky wool blends just grew stronger.

i've still got some mawata. anyone know if i can drop spindle mawata? i'm gonna google it and pretend i have the time to add yet another hobby to my days.