Vancouver in January

We are just over two weeks away from hosting the Winter Olympics here in Vancouver. Today, I thought I'd take a few photos around my neighbourhood to show just how ready we are for the Spring Olympics. All of the above photos were taken by me on January 27th, 2010. Gotta love our temperate climate!

36. Try 10 new vegetarian dinner recipes.

Today, Dean and I made a Vegetable Biryani from my new "Sundays at Moosewood" cookbook. It was delicious! Saffron rice, oodles of veggies ranging from cauliflower to chickpeas to sweet potatoes, topped with toasted cashews and plain yogurt. It was the first time we had tried this recipe, so it took us 90 minutes to prepare this dish, but I'm optimistic that we can cut that time down the next time we make it.

Thanks to Mom & Dad for giving me the cookbook for Christmas, I look forward to the next recipe we try!

94. Donate to MSF/ Doctors Without Borders

I had been meaning to donate to Doctors Without Borders ever since Sophie and I toured their Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City. I believe that they do good work and they're already on the ground helping the people of Haiti. Their news updates page gives up to date info on the conditions they are facing in Haiti.

I called their busy donor relations line today and made a donation towards the earthquake relief effort. I was happy to know that my donation will be matched by CIDA (and so will yours if you donate before February 12, 2010.

I also just found out that Bamboletta Dolls is running a raffle to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders. They're raffling off two dolls plus assorted doll clothes and I just got myself a $10 ticket. They're already past the $4,500 mark!

Holiday Traditions Exchange

This year, I participated in the Holiday Traditions Exchange organized by the creative and inspiring blogger Meg McElwee at Sew Liberated. In this exchange, you are matched with someone from around the world (most participants are in the US) and you are asked to send them:
1.) One handmade holiday decoration.
2.) Your family's favorite holiday recipe.
3.) A “Tradition” Tutorial. This is a description of one of your family’s special holiday traditions.

I know that my parcel has been received, so I can share what I sent to my partner (who, ironically, lives not too far away in Washington State!).


2 DVDs of Christmas Cartoon Classics, a Christmas Pop Mix CD, a copy of "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, a fair trade chocolate bar, a sparkly Christmas necklace, and a recipe for Butterscotch Squares, plus:


The recipe for Aunt Lizzie's Peppermint Squares


Complete with diagram!


A pear ornament made using Retromama's pattern


A felt ornament with one of my first attempts at embroidery. Pattern from Fantastic Toys.

It was so much fun to reflect on my favourite holiday traditions while creating this package. Now I can't wait to see what arrives in the mail for me!

My cycling roots

Thanks to my dad for scanning this awesome photo of Mom taking me for a ride on Quadra Island. I'd guess it's circa 1979. Good times.

My 1 year blogoversary!

Yay, me! I've been writing this blog for one whole year now! This is my 40th post, which means I've almost reached the once a week blogging frequency. I've enjoyed having a place to share silly stories, document my progress on my 101 Things List, and show off some of the crafts I've been working on this year.

Here's to reaching 100 posts in year two of my blog!

What I learned in October

Inspired by Amber's post at Strocel.com, I've compiled a list of things I've learned in the past month.


1. Sophie isn't scared of being surrounded by chickens.

2. If your kid is sick and you end up not going to the Island for Thanksgiving, turkey dinner at the White Spot is more depressing than a regular dinner at home.


3. Rain gutter shelving is easy to install and makes for a great display area for picture books.

4. There are at least one or two members of the younger generation in the Vancouver Quilters' Guild.


5. Canadians care about climate change. If you look closely at this picture, you can find my family in the Bridge to a Cool Planet march.

6. $650,000 can get you a 100 year old house in the Main St area that's falling apart at the seams (don't worry, we didn't put in an offer).


7. Giving a toddler a Sharpie isn’t always a bad idea.


8. The camera smile that Sophie flashes these days is definitely genetic.


9. I can sew Halloween costumes for Sophie. I also learned that you can fit two full quilts worth of batting under that bee tunic.


10. Group costumes are a lot of fun! Especially when you stay in character and solve the mystery of the missing emails! Jinkies!