Pants are for suckers...

It has been awhile since my last post, but after spending months moaning about the weather and threatening a head in the oven (mine), I have been out soaking up every ounce of the good stuff. Finally the sun has made an appearance, and it will most likely be a few weeks before we all start complaining about how hot it is. Until then we are going to enjoy our first summer in the country. 
The kids have a big yard with a creek full of fish running around the back of it. We have tackled the back yard, and it promises to be an epic battle between my sheer will and the will of a few decades of weeds run rampant. I have always moved into places with well established perennial beds, so this is a bit of a challenge. Planting a garden with two three year olds is also proving to be a challenge. Both have inherited my "more is more" outlook on life, so planting involves me going behind them and digging out the fistful of seeds shoved in each tiny hole. It also involves me agreeing that their new "best friend" of an earth worm/frog/toad is indeed beautiful, but no, mama would not like to hold him. I found Shep the other day watching television, holding up a garden slug so it too could enjoy the brilliance that is the Backyardigans. 
I don't think the slug was very impressed.
So, to catch up - a few shots of the past month out here in Orono. Digging, planting and fence building (Paul did it all by himself). A first fish, and a first dance recital (note the bug bites, (did I mention that there are a ridiculous amount of insects in the country?!).
And last but not least, Frannie. Francis was our cat for the past decade. She enjoyed sleeping and eating and snuggling. I found her as a kitten in Kensington Market and thought she would be a great gift for my then friend Paul. We ended up married and she ended up mine. Francis loved it out here and was very happy with our decision to move out of the city. 
Sadly she was killed by a dog last week. This was the last picture I took of her, sleeping in the clean towel basket.
Happy with the sad, luckily much much more of the former. We buried Fran out back and will spend the next few weeks, in shorts, planting beautiful perennials all around her. xo

RIP frannie xo.

Rainy Day Crafternoon...

Some days the crafty inspiration flows round here like fresh spring water down the side of a mountain. Other days I wake up tired and have to phone it in, "here is a handful of dryer lint and some googley eyes, go nuts". 
This owl project was all net. The kids loved it, and I felt rather pleased with it myself. A great project for a rainy Monday...DIY stuffed owls.


Grab some heavy duty material. I get large chunks of unbleached cotton from 
Designer Fabric Outlet, but have recently discovered you can get this type of material at most hardware stores in the paint section. It will come all wrapped up pretty, disguised as painters drop cloths. You want to paint on whatever material you can come up with so make sure it is a lighter colour, pattern free helps. 

Draw out your animal w a sharpie and hand it over. We used regular old acrylic paints, but fabric paints would work too.

Shep is all about total coverage...a painting frenzy really.

George is much more meticulous...

Owl pattern is barely visible, check - hang to dry...

When all the paint has dried, stitch (hand or machine) owl to another piece of fabric - making sure you leave a space along the seam big enough for a little fist full of stuffing to fit. Trim excess material around owl and you are ready to stuff...

Much like any glitter project, this stuffing will get everywhere in your house. These owls took double the amount of time because my kids kept stuffing and un-stuffing each one.

When all the nooks and crannies are filled up, stitch closed the opening.  

And there you have it - your very own hand made stuffed owls...

Can I get a "Hoot Hoot"?! xo

Hey Mama...

Before I had kids I never fancied myself being a mom. It just seemed like the worst job. Ever. Thankless, exhausting, you had to wear those high waisted pleated jeans. Yuck. And the kids themselves?! Whiney, hanging off you all the time like boogery little ticks. 

Stay at home mom? No thank you sir. 

Then I met someone who made me think, "well, I wouldn't mind being tied to you for life", so we married (something else I was convinced I would never do).  Which was shortly followed by "well, it's now or never Methuselah...either you are going to be a mom or not, but decide". 

So we did, and wouldn't you know it, twins (my eggs had the panicky feeling they weren't going to get used, so they started doubling up). 

I love a bargain, and I was thrilled with the aspect of two for one. Being pregnant however, was pretty rotten. I felt awful and looked worse (picture a refrigerator with hair). Sick, swollen and tired I clung to the fact that I was knocking it out of the park and would never have to do this again. One of each, done and done.

Up until I looked at their squished little faces I was unsure of this decision. What if I hated it? What if I sucked? What if they sucked? What if I never get to sleep again, or travel, or have hangover Sundays, what if I stayed puffy forever...blah blah blah.

It's cliched, but it's true, until you do it you cannot imagine what it is like. Nor imagine what it is like to love someone so much it is like an ache in your chest. Looking at them can actually hurt, it is a fierceness that I did not know I had in me. 

It is three and a half years later. They will go to school this fall, and the thought of that gives me a stomach ache. Me, who scoffed at the very idea of being a stay at home mom, has been blessed enough to be just that. 

Am I tired? Yup. Do I travel? Not as often, and with much more stuff, but yes. Puffy? Less so. Hangover Sundays? A thing of the past, but that is probably for the best for both me and my liver. Would I trade it and go back? Never.

You have to be brave to take this on. And tough, and yes fierce. And if you aren't when you start, you learn pretty quick. Having kids has been the most punk rock thing I have ever done, and blessedly, no one has made me wear mom jeans. 

So, this post goes out to all those brave fierce mama's out there. And I mean all the mamas. The ones who adopt, and foster. The ones who look out for and after the babies.

Tired, covered in crumbs and boogers. Happy Mother's Day all you lucky ladies...xo

Me and my Mama...

Shep and Georgia then...

Shep and Georgia now...

Rock on ladies...xo

App lov'n

Easter weekend as seen through the lens of Paul's iPhone. Lot's of hiking, a few cocktails and a new muscle car to round out the picture. There was also too much chocolate and tantrums scary enough that I considered calling a priest, but those moments were blessedly not caught on film. Generally I don't geek out over things like iPhones and the latest and greatest technology, but damn that little gadget and it's cross processing apps make life look super cool.

Tree lov'n...

Two generations of Riss...

Sasspants.

The third Riss...

Things started to go a bit sideways...

And then it all just went bad.

Papa.

Shep xo

Georgie xo

Saturday night at the Dakota with Bradleyboy

My Easter egg, not an El Camino, but he'll do.

xo

Don't let the door hit ya...

Winter has become much like a drunken house guest. Originally you happily welcomed them in. Perhaps even thought "oh...yes winter, I love him, so fresh, so fun". Cut to closing time, you are tired and rather grumpy and winter has just poured himself another cocktail and gotten comfy in your favourite chair...after throwing up in a potted plant. 
He also made some calls and invited over party crashers hail and freezing rain. 
Get out. Go home. 
In a few months you will knock at the door full of charm and promise and I will forget what a chump you really are. I will invite you back just in time for the Holidays. 
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Spring has made flickering appearances around these parts as of late. A few weekends ago she showed up and got us punch drunk with gardening possibilities. We blissfully tackled the over grown area out behind the house. It had been standard practice it seems to just throw garbage down the side of the ravine. When the barn out back was torn down all bricks and cement were pushed down the hill, mixed in with chairs, plastic bottles, and horse bones...rather gross. But, with the sun shining bright we happily piled, raked and gathered. Paul decided to repurpose these bricks and make a set of stairs that will eventually lead to a large deck and small outbuilding. It will house a record player and some bird books...or as I like to call it the "pout'n shack". With a creek running below I think it will be the perfect spot to sit with a glass of wine in the early evening.
We had help from our friend Shane who kindly drove in from Brooklyn to lend a hand, and of course Shep, ever present on all jobs that involve dirt.

The next day we celebrated spring with an impromptu dinner outdoors...

Cheers winter, you've had your fill now get the hell going. xo

Bacon scented duvet...

I am not big on room sprays, perfumes of any kind actually. I would however be the first in line if Febreeze ever comes up with a bacon scented room spray. If I ever get "your own perfume line" kind of famous that can be my signature scent - Eau de Bacon. Don't be doubt'n, it could happen. I come up with this kind of gold during those rare occasions i give into a nap. This bacon fantasy in particular was inspired by my new favourite nap spot, the loft over looking the kitchen. A little nook big enough for a bed a lamp and books, and the perfect spot to curl up in the late afternoon for a siesta. The close proximity to the oven fills it with wonderful smells, cookies are a favourite, and yes - bacon. 

The space back in October...

Loft / kitchen today...

The view then...

The view now...

The view from a napping position...

A lovely place to escape to for an hour or so (you can pull the ladder up behind you) and recharge your batteries. Coming soon, a window to let in some of the late day sun and a coat of paint for the ceiling. Happy napping xo.