A week or two ago

It is August 22 and this is my first entry of the month! Pregnancy sure is all consuming! I'm even getting a little bored talking about it! I can't imagine how everyone else feels listening to me.

Last Saturday night we went to the Square Foot Exhibit reception. It was lovely, although I was more excited about the works last year.



(Hubby in the red hat)




I last about an hour at the show before I had to find a place to sit down. We enjoyed this mango & something cheese cake at a place just south of the gallery. Rich & yummy!



And, yes, I am still riding my bike! I love it! It is SO much easier to ride than to walk. Here we are just about to cycle home:




About a week or two ago I discovered that washing the dishes has become uncomfortable due to my tummy squishing into the counter. Hubby says it isn't because of my pregnant tummy, but because of my shortness 'disability'. Ha ha. Anyway, here's a cute picture of my solution. (Thanks to good friend G for sewing this beautiful dress for me!)




A couple of weeks ago we had a few friends over for a BBQ. Of course we were rained out and had to settle for the living and dining room. Here is my wonderful little friend M showing off her super cool poncho just before going home! Mom, K, is in the background.



I have finished a lovely knitted baby hat, but the pictures I've taken suck. You'll have to wait for another day to see the cutesy hat. I will also have some wool booties finished this weekend to show off. Stay tuned!

Rainy Sunday

So, we were up early today. That is normal for us. I'm always conscious of not making a lot of noise when we are up and around in the wee hours of the morning because we have a tenant in the basement and we live in a semi. So, I had to find something productive yet puttery to do to kill time until I can really make some domestic noise.

I finally cleaned up my email! Organized my folders. Saved or deleted messages. Even went through my 'sent' folder! Email nice and neat now!

So, plans for today include: sand and mud a few holes in a couple of the master bedroom walls; prime one wall and around the window; write some thank you cards; friend over for dinner.

Yesterday we saw Cabaret at Stratford! It rocked! We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Foster's Inn across the street from the Avon Theatre and then drove home. Good day trip!

I'm hoping to set up my Ravelry page this weekend. I am off work tomorrow, so perhaps I will get that done.

Baby update: she is moving A LOT! I tend to notice when she curls up in a specific area of my uterus. You can even see my belly bulged out where she's squished herself. I like to rub her when she squished up somewhere, because I can feel her body all hard and round where by belly is bulged out.

Tomorrow I have a midwife appointment. I'm taking the dreaded pregnancy diabetes test - yucky orange pop drink followed by a blood test.

Mmmmm... swimming

Outdoor pool.

Free of charge.

Easy biking distance from home.

Good water temp.

Weightlessness.

Beautiful sky.

Apres swim Italian gelato.

A very nice Sunday evening date with my hubby.

A Saturday morning

I woke up at 3am and haven't really slept since. Maybe a few winks around 6am, but was out of bed by 7 anyway.

I'm hoping to get my legs and bikini waxed this morning. I want to try out the outdoor pool in our neighbourhood tomorrow night. I have two maternity bathing suits that keep taunting me.

Other plans for today:

make brownies for girls' movie night at T's (started)
knitomatic trip (long overdue)
wrap some baby shower gifts for mailing to friends
laundry
girls' movie night!

body pillow plans, yoga flop, belly & project updates

I think I need a body pillow. The multiple pillow arrangement I have been using is not quite cutting it. Plus I wake up Hubby every time I roll over and rearrange myself. I'll be trudging over to the ever crowded Dufferin Mall later today to check out what they have at Babies 'r Us. Sans Hubby. He loathes the Duff Mall, especially on weekends. Going solo is okay with me, as it will give me time to browse cutesy baby things on my own.

I'll also try to find a basket type thing to bungie to the back of my bike, as I am getting tired of lugging around bags on my body while I am riding. Yes, I am still riding when weather permits! So, in the last two weeks that hasn't been often. I did use the bike to jaunt over to my pre-natal yoga class yesterday.

That class was a flop. I've been once before.(I also try to catch a Monday night hatha yoga class that is easily adaptable for pregnant moi). I arrived yesterday all psyched for some preggo talk and good stretching, only to find that there is a substitute teacher. 'No problem', I think. I arrange my mat and make small talk with the sub. She asks me about my yoga experience and she tells me she does Kundalini yoga. Means nothing to me. She says it involves a lot of breath work.

No other students arrive. Hmmmm... great! A personalized class! We begin.

I realize almost immediately that this Kundalini thing might be too woo-woo for me. Extra chanting at the beginning and she tells me there will be a song at the end. A song! Uh-oh! I can't sing! And, excuse me, what happened to a little check-in talk about how my body feels and what I'd like to focus on in class?! No check-in. No pregnancy chit-chat and tips. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this 'pre-natal' class with the 'non-natal' sub.

As the class progresses, I uncomfortably discover that Kundalini yoga is ALL about breathing and has very little to do with good stretching for pregnant bodies. Sub Teacher leads me in a few limited stretches that she does not adapt for my pregnant belly. I adapt them myself. We sit in a so-called Easy Position for most of the class. My left foot falls asleep and starts to ache at the ankle. My ass starts to hurt more than its usual pregnant stiff hurt. I eventually give up on 'easy position'. I tried not to hyperventilate with all the short, fast nostril breathing.

I almost lost it when we got to the block-a-nostril-and-breathe-quickly-through-the-other-nostril exercise. My allergy irritated sinuses did not cooperate. I imagine that Sub Teacher could sense my frustration because she then launched into the Patience Pose. Sit in 'easy position' with arms lifted straight out to the sides at shoulder height, palms up. Flex your middle finger up and down quickly. Breathe in and out synchronized with finger flexing. Do this for 3 minutes. Try not hyperventilate or faint. Be patient. Patience Pose will end eventually.

Be patient again while singing begins and goes on and on.

Look forward to Hatha Yoga on Monday night for a corrective experience.

Here's updated belly photos for week 23:




These don't look much different than week 15 or 18 pics, but in real life it sure looks bigger. My uterus has grown beyond my belly button already.

I am working on finishing up a couple of baby crochet projects, but no photos yet. I'm thinking of a summer cutesy dress for our Babe to wear next summer. I'm also going to start a summer shrug for myself. In a week I leave for a cottage with my sewing machine in tow - baby curtains will be made under the watchful eye of experienced sewing friend, T!

Here's a photo of the beginnings of my second knit project. (I still can't reveal a photo of the first completed top secret knit project, as it has not be delivered to my friend yet).

Kids in the Hall

Hubby and I got comp tickets to the last Kids in the Hall show in Toronto this week; the last show of their eight week North American tour. We saw their warm up show last summer in Montreal at the Comedy Festival. The Toronto show had a couple of new skits and was unique if only because Kevin McDonald had practically lost his voice. The Kids did a lot of cracking up on stage about that.

Because Mark McKinney is working with Hubby on his show, we got passes to the after-party! Here are some shots:

Hubby and good friends, C & S, enjoying the party!


Me with Dave Foley!


All of us with Mark...


The girls with Mark!


Before the show we ate at Harlem on Richmond. Wonderful! We will go back on a night when we aren't rushing to get to Massey Hall. It was a great night out! I didn't get to bed until close to midnight! That is WAAAAY this past pregnant woman's bedtime!

Amateur green thumb

When we bought our house last Winter we knew the yard would need work. When Spring arrived I felt beaten down by the jungle of weeds and overgrowth that appeared back there. I did a bit of research online and decided to solarize the entire yard to kill the jungle. I covered all the growth with sheets of heavy black plastic that I found in the roofing aisle of Rona.

Here's a picture from this Spring. The plastic is still there covered up by the leaves.



Here's a shot looking towards the back of the house. Not so pretty.



Last summer we met with a landscaper and told her our dream for the yard. She drew up some plans and quoted us a price. We postponed the project. Since Hubby had a great year with his show, we booked our landscaper for her first outdoor spot this season. While we waited for the date to arrive, Hubby entered us into a Home Depot contest for a new back yard. The winner hasn't been announced yet.

Here is the result of our landscaper and her crew's hard work. That's Lynn, our landscaper, in the first two shots:






We picked up the great teak patio furniture off of Kijiji! It rocks!

So, here's what I did today:





Me working on the shade garden. Check out the milk jugs and belly!





The shade garden:



The sun garden:



It's my first garden! I've given myself permission to make mistakes this year. I figure it can only improve as I learn. I read some bits of a few books tnat I took out of the library and prepared a list of shade and sun plants before we went to the local garden centre. Thanks to Hubby for helping with the selections.

After two hours of bending, digging, watering and cleaning up (I missed my pre-natal yoga class) I was exhausted! My shower felt great!

Avoidance 101

Blogging, reading blogs, calling your friends and family on Skype, landlines, and cells, are all great ways to avoid sorting out the dreaded home office.

3:10 to Yuma

I finally saw 3:10 to Yuma! (refer to More about movies below) I flew to Winnipeg to visit Hubby on Friday. Air Canada has a great entertainment system that allows every customer to watch exactly what she wants on her own private screen. I was sitting in the middle seat right behind Business Class, so my screen was hidden in the arm of my chair, not on the back of the seat in front of me. The stewardess had to help me find my screen, so I got started on the movie a little bit late.

I watched 2/3 of the movie on the way to Winnipeg and the last 1/3 on the way home. Oh my, how I love westerns! I haven't been a particular fan of Russell Crowe before now, but he sure is a bit hubba-hubba in 3:10!

More about movies

I just realized that I've probably missed my last chance to see 3:10 to Yuma on the big screen! It was playing at the Bloor Cinema last week. I must have been snoozing, 'cause I missed by two days! Crap! I'm really into Westerns and I have no idea how I didn't get my act together to see this on the big screen.

I'll be seeing Before The Devil Knows You're Dead on Friday. I love, love, love, Philip Seymour Hoffman. I might make it a Philip Seymour Hoffman weekend; he's in at least two other movies in the theatres now.

Hubby and I watched Fargo again last week. I'd forgotten how great that movie is. I love Margie.

I just saw, for the first time, To Sir, with Love on Sunday. I really dig Sidney Poitier and I can't resist the 60s music. I give it a thumbs up. (If my Hubby is reading this, he's rolling his eyes in disbelief that I haven't seen this movie before now. He believes that I am a bit retarded in the pop culture areas of my life.)

Holiday movies I saw: Atonement - great music and cinematography, but a wee bit slow for me; I am Legend - I loved it and really appreciated how Will Smith's character flutters on the edge of insanity. (Hubby was less enthusiastic about it.) I think there was one other movie we saw, but I just can't remember right now.

I like movies!

I like movies! I don't go out a lot to see movies in the theatre, but I do watch them on Hubby's super cable pacakage at home.

Movies I've seen lately:

You've Got Mail - I've probably watched this movie about 20 times. I used to own a VHS copy. For me, it's a girlie romantic movie I can 'watch' while I clean or bake. Last night it was on one of the super cable channels. I'd forgotten how romantic it is. I even cried a little at the end.

Terms of Endearment - Complete tear jerker. A full box of kleenex tear jerker. Also watched on the super cable. I love it.

Miss Potter - Surprisingly a sweet and inspiring movie. Also a bit of a tear jerker because of the twist of fate that Beatrix experiences.

New Waterford Girl - Love this Canadian movie! I stayed home in my pjs on Monday and watched this instead of going out to a weekly gathering. I found out afterward that there was a birthday cake and gift waiting for me at the gathering - oops!

Margot at the Wedding - I saw this at Canada Square. Nicole Kidman, Jack Black (LOVE Jack!), and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The story is so well written, acted, and so completely twisted that it made me uncomfortable. Great movie, but I don't think I could watch it again. Other movies I hold in this category: Seven and Boys Don't Cry.

No Country For Old Men - I can't say enough about the Coen bros! Love 'em! I saw this with Hubby in Winnipeg recently.

American Gangster - I liked it, but I don't think I would see it again. I also saw this with Hubby on an earlier trip to The Peg.

I'm looking forward to watching more over the holidays. Any suggestions?

August fun

I am serenading Summer goodbye. It has been a lovely season.

Here's a re-cap of my August.

Peach preserves with my lovely co-worker and friend. Chutney and relish.





Hubby and I had dinner and drinks with Joe, in town on his way to St. Lucia. Here's my delicious Pear Martini from The Drake:



And here is Hubby and Joe on the rooftop patio at The Drake. Hubby likes to pretend he's having a horrible time because he doesn't like getting his photo taken.



I was lucky to catch the reception for AWOL Gallery's Square Foot exhibit with my friend Mary who had three pieces in the show. What a great show! The reception was fabulous! Funky music, cold beer, and tons of hip art lovers. Hubby and I bought a piece and I can't wait to get it home!

Here's Mary, in town for a holiday and this show. Check out the square foot pieces behind her and then imagine a huge room with each wall covered in columns and rows of these paintings!




Here's me and Mary enjoying our hanging out time:



What else did I do in August?

A ferry ride back to the main land after a lovely wedding on Algonquin Island. Here's the beautiful view:



Alley Jaunt the day after the wedding. It doesn't look like much in this photo, but there is really interesting art to see and people to meet. My favourite was the poet Simla Civelek in the VW Van. Check it out next August!



An added bonus on the Jaunt - a bath tub of basil! I could smell it before I could see it. It was incredibly fragrant!



Half way through the Jaunt we stopped for nourishment at the funky, yummy Get Real on Ossington. Check out the grape in my water - delicious! (There's my guide and Alley Jaunt passport. I have my passport at work with all its cool stamps and marks. A nice reminder of a lovely month.)



Another lovely August event was a wee bridal shower at La Tea Da on Queen East. Here's the High Tea tray that we enjoyed. (Can you tell I like food?)

toooooooo hot

It is just toooooooo bloody hot to come up with anything interesting to write!

I have settled on a list to you all informed.

* Making peach preserves with lovely co-worker/friend this Saturday. This idea was inspired by my small success with pears last weekend.

* Getting the Volkswagon Bug from Mom & Dad on Sunday while they go off to England and Scotland.

* Wonderful Hubby is planning wonderful brunch as a nice send off for Mom & Dad.

* Hair trim took place last night. My hair dresser told me that if someone had bet him that he'd ever see my hair this long, he would have lost the bet. I would have lost the bet too. For years I forced Joe to keep my hair in a funky, butchy short cut. Hubby inspired me to let it grow. THANKS, HUB!

* I'm all about thick yogurt these days. Yogurt cheese that I eat with fruit and honey or my pear preserves. I just keeping buying containers of yogurt and letting it sit in the fridge in cheese cloth and a sieve.

* It is Friday of a long weekend and I am thankful.

* Going to hang out with a friend on Sunday who has access to a fancy house in Guelph this weekend. A/C and swimming pool, here we come!

Oh! I almost forgot this:

* I ate ice cream from Madeleines for lunch yesterday (the hottest day of the summer so far)! Watermelon sherbert with chocolate covered toasted oats that looked like watermelon seeds. It was heaven!

Last weekend of July in Toronto

Look what we were gifted this weekend! My mom and dad brought us their old bbq, all reconditioned and freshened up! We've already given it a couple of test drives. Above is a picture of lovely bok choy that hit the grill first. Shortly followed by:



Burgers! Yummy! We tried a simple recipe from Foodtv.ca. Delicious!

On Sundays when we have access to a car, we get ourselves to the Beaches (I know the area is officially known as the Beach, but it doesn't roll off my tongue or fingertips as easily as Beaches does) to enjoy Konditor. Our favourite pastry place in Toronto. There is a lot more to Konditor than their pastries; they have quiches, salads and sandwiches that are all amazing. The house coffee is to die for! We partake in little bit of everything, plus the Sunday New York Times.

Here is a picture of Hubby and our friend who also worships the Viennese pastries:



The last few times we've gone to Konditor, we've headed to the Liberty Village Farmers' Market before going home. We discovered some kick ass pickled garlic here. We've had the regular and the spicy pickled garlic, as well as the garlic relish. Incredible! I served the pickled garlic at my sister's party earlier this month and it was big hit.

Today we kept to our ritual and headed to Liberty Village. Lucky thing, too, since the garlic people won't be back in Toronto until the Cabbagetown festival. I loaded up with two kinds of relish and pickled garlic ends (they are not called ends, but I don't want to go downstairs to look at the jar right now).

A kind merchant pointed me in the right direction for pears. I've been waiting for the Ontario pears to be ready so that I could make some pear reserves. One of the farmers had lovely little sugar pears. I bought about five pounds.

Here's me after working for three hours on Gingered Pear Preserves:



A labour of love. My feet are aching and my back hurts, but I yielded eleven 250ml jars and a few taste tests to share with Hubby and friend. Not bad for being without most of my fancy canning equipment. I improvised and did quite well - no burns or scalds, only delicious preserves.

top secret project revealed!

I am drinking beer and eating chili. I'm alone in the house. It's a perfect time to update the blog. This may be short and sweet because I want to get to the spiderweb cardigan tonight. (I've started the sleeves!)

So, first off, here are a couple of cute photos of me crocheting the top secret project (scroll down a bit in that older post)! I can finally show you since the big reveal happened on Saturday.



This is me at Alterknit working on the crocheted wrap. Tiny little clusters. The retro Vogue pattern calls them petals.





Here's Lucy (you can see my hair just beside her) showing off the wrap at a Blue Jays' game in late May. I've been working on the wrap since March and have taken almost everywhere.



When I started the project every row took about 25 minutes to complete. My friend Glenice can vouch for that, since I started it while bunking with her at Nottawasaga Inn for the annual work retreat. (I think I actually started it in the car on the way up there. I wasn't driving.) By the time I finished I had my time down to 17 minutes. I forgot to count how many rows I did, so I can't give you a grand total of hours. Next time I see my sis I'll take a peak at the wrap, do the calculations and report back.




Here's my sis opening the gift at her 40th birthday bbq (shared with her hubby, since they both turn 40 this summer).






Sis showing off the beautiful wrap! She loved it!

Something I learned from making this project: switch up your projects, especially if they are big like this one. I worked only on this wrap for months. My arm started aching from the repeated motion. I had to go to physio for a few weeks to recover!


Other photos from June:



Me in Prince Edward County for a wee vacation. Hubby and I had a lovely time tasting wines and eating good food.





Long Dog Vineyard & Winery. Beautiful place. Too bad it wasn't open. I'll just have to go back!




The library in Wellington. Hubby had to visit because he was jonesing for an email check. I love libraries and this one is so easy on the eyes!




Me and Janine! She visited from BC for a few days before going off to see the parentals and grandparentals in another city. We had a great time crocheting - see below! We spent almost an entire day at Knitomatic.



Janine is working on a practice swatch. She's already altering patterns! I can't wait to see what she comes up with on her own!