wool and wonder

Getting my ducks in a row...

2010-04-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

We're all settled into our new home in Port Moody- and I'm using the move to excuse this great lapse in blogging. January was packing, February was unpacking, and well... I guess I don't have an excuse for March.

The transition time has been an interesting one, creatively speaking. Without my wool figures to keep me busy, I've spent a lot of time writing, reading, and playing around with watercolour painting. (I won't be posting any of those pictures, as they
too closely resemble the painting my 3 year old does...)

I also finally got myself some needle-felting supplies, which I've been wanting to try for the longest time, so will hopefully have some of these new experiments posted soon!

Hope you're all enjoying the lovely spring weather!

It's Christmas!!

2009-12-25T16:50:00.001-08:00

The muscle man and his apple

2009-12-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

Nothin' says Christmas...

2009-12-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

...like an elephant in poinsettias.

Nona In Winter

2009-12-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to try doing some separate pieces of clothing for Nona, so I settled on this reversible cape, and named this edition "Nona In Winter." Still don't have much studio time these days (or blogging time, it seems!) with a potty-training toddler and a very determined nine-month-old who daily wages war on his nemesis, our Christmas tree. I hope to add Nona In Winter to our shop in the new year, but for now, she will just be going out to the boutiques.

Here's my favorite one- I love the dark purple and pink together, and her sophisticated little leggings. I meant to use more bright, typically "wonderlamb" colours- but happened to be listening to CBC radio at the time, and they were playing Schumann- something he'd written for his wife Clara, and it was quiet and romantic and beautiful, and somehow I think the music took my colour scheme along with it.

I often forget to take pictures of the custom orders I do, but here's one that just went out- Fran the Bunny, made with a request that she not be "too pink" so she got a purple and green combo along with her custom letter. I'm definitely diggin' the purple these days.

Back to the studio

2009-08-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Peach Pie for the Birthday Hero

2009-08-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

It's become a tradition to have pie on Ashraf's birthday, because when his birthday rolls around, the local fruit is at its peak and just bursting with flavor. So, this year, it was a white peach and blueberry pie with pecans. I was going to do a peach pie, but a few days ago saw a peach and blueberry pie- and OH MY- I highly recommend this combination. Here's the recipe I worked from:

4 c peaches, cut into slices
1 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/3 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
butter

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the peach slices and toss to coat. Pour all into pie shell, add in blueberries and pecans. Dot the top with butter. Cover with pastry, if you like. I brush the pastry with egg so that it bakes to a nice golden colour. The original recipe called for a whole cup of sugar, but the peaches and blueberries were so ripe and sweet, I cut the sugar down to half and it was plenty sweet. Oh, and the measurements on the spices are approximate- I probably used more cinnamon than that.

Happy Birthday Ashraf :)

The Little Guy Fights Back

2009-07-12T08:27:00.001-07:00

For any of you that have ever had a bad experience with an airline, this video is for you.

Here's my cousin Dave, of the Sons of Maxwell, describing in his own words how his YouTube music video came to be:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world.

As of this morning, his music video has had over 2, 300 000 hits. It was posted less than a week ago.

Rolls... both kinds

2009-07-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

4 months old,

and very good at
Rolling- v.
1. turning over
2. being lovely and chubby

June Adventures

2009-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

:: beginning

:: digging

:: growing

:: picnicking

:: savoring

:: snoozing

:: cuddling

:: being

How have you been spending your summer days?

Seawall Sunday

2009-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

A recent warm Sunday drew us down to the seashore to explore...

:: the Inukshuk-inspired, balanced-rock sculptures of a local artist

:: my dad and Ashraf stroll with Hadi around the seawall

:: Sam's paradise: a little ocean pool of his own,
and endless pebbles to throw

::barnacle-encrusted rocks

::and in the distance, views of English Bay
and the foothills beyond

New Mama Totes

2009-05-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

--To all the lovely ladies who participated in the New Mama Tote Project--
Your time and care made for a beautiful set of tote bags.
Thank you for sending the love on out there :)

Bean Bags

2009-05-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

Not much time for sewing these days except for the fastest of projects. Made up a set of bean bags for a little friend of Sam's today. Sam helped... which meant more beans on the kitchen table and the floor than in the bags, but all in all, I'd say he did pretty well with his pudgy little toddler fingers.

The Art of Swaddling

2009-04-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Swaddling: 1. to wrap (esp. a newborn infant) in garments to quieten it. 2. Ashraf's secret superpower (See exhibits A. and B.)

A.

B.
Highly effective, as you can see...

Reading: A Child's Garden of Verses

2009-04-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite books of children's literature is Robert Louis Stevenson's collection of poetry, A Child's Garden of Verses, first published in 1885. What I love most about this collection of poetry is its wonderful sense of time and place. As you read through the pages, you know that you are most certainly in 17th-century England; perhaps rambling on a farm (The Cow, The Hayloft), or speeding through the country-side on a train (From a Railway Carriage), or peering out a bedroom window into damp, dark city streets (The Lamplighter).
I also enjoy how Stevenson captures boyhood so timelessly- the speaker in My Treasures could easily be Sam, who regularly discovers a special rock or stick on our walks and wrangles it into his pocket to take home and stow away.
My grandmother recently sent me her copy, and penciled in notes on the poems that were her favorites as a little girl. I imagine these poems must take her back to England and have the familiar feel of home to her. But for any reader, I think, you'll find that Stevenson's writing will transport you- perhaps to England, perhaps to childhood; to places you know, or to places you've never seen.
A good read on a rainy afternoon.

Here's one of my favorites, in which a little boy patiently explains to you and I how the sun does not go to sleep when he does; it travels all around the world to shine on all the other little boys and girls.
(And to properly enjoy this poem, you have to read it out loud).

The Sun's Travels

The sun is not a-bed when I
At night upon my pillow lie;
Still round the earth his way he takes,
And morning after morning makes.

While here at home, in shining day,
We round the sunny garden play,
Each little Indian sleepyhead
Is being kissed and put to bed.

And when at eve I rise from tea,
Day dawns beyond the Atlantic Sea,
And all the children in the West
Are getting up and being dressed.

-Robert Louis Stevenson

What are some of your favorite childhood reads?

Big Sam Little Hadi

2009-04-22T16:13:00.001-07:00

Man of the Hour

2009-04-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Humpty Dumpty in all his eggy glory.

... and with a couple of our wee spring chicks by his side to keep him company...

(Maria and Stefanie actually had that brick wall built right in their front window... I've no idea how they're going to get it out of there... but it looks terrific!!)

Evolution of an Easter Egg

2009-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, Maria at Dandelion Kids asked if I'd be interested in making a giant Humpty Dumpty for their spring storefront window. Now, the front window of Dandelion Kids is never your run-of-the-mill display- Maria and Stefanie always go all out to create an original and whimsical scene, so I was thrilled to join in the fun.

With the first plans drawn up, I headed off to the fabric store to get the yards of white felt I'd need for the egg, with the rest of his body to be constructed from my stock of recycled wools.
Most of the construction of Humpty happened on our kitchen table, as my studio worktop was just not big enough. Here's a shot of Humpty just before sewing- sorry for the poor lighting in the pic; it was taken in the wee hours of the morning.

Once sewn, Humpty was kept hidden from my toddler in the studio. If Sam suddenly came face to face with this enormous egg, I was afraid he might never eat eggs again!

Before sending Humpty off to his window, my husband and I just had to take a few funny photos with him... because we all need a little silly in our lives.

Have a great long weekend!

How a Smile Grows

2009-04-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Caught his attention...

a little smile...

almost there...

there it is

cheeky fellow...

Baking Goodness

2009-04-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

We've had a week of runny noses, fevers and coughs around here, with the two little ones and their dad down with a virus (and mama got the wildcard: a bout of food poisoning!) It's been a time to get back to those simple wholesome foods that do the body good- apple sauce, vegetable soup, and one of my favorites: freshly baked spelt bread.
I thought this would be a good occasion to share the recipe, which I have dubbed "No-Fail Spelt Bread" because it has always turned out beautifully. (And if any of you are familiar with my baking skills, you'll know this is a small miracle). It's a bread-machine recipe, for the quick-bake setting. In about an hour and a half, you'll have yourself a warm, nutty-sweet loaf of bread.

No-Fail Spelt Bread

1 3/4c warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp honey
4 3/4c spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

Directions: Pour in water, oil, molasses and honey. Add flour. Add salt and yeast. Set on quick bake setting.

Notes: I once started a batch and realized I had no honey in the house. I used real maple syrup instead and never looked back. If you've got it, it's lovely- and adds a little Canadian touch to the recipe.

springtime fun

2009-03-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, March is being March... my poor budding tulips have been snowed under for the past week! We're staying more or less huddled up inside, and I try not to sigh when I see the winter wonderland outside my kitchen window. I think some springtime fun is in order- click on the picture below to take the flower quiz. Click through the quiz and it will tell you what kind of flower you are, and just above that, you can read their little personality profile based on your answers. Frivolous, I know, but takes one's mind off the cold, anyway.

I am a
Violet

What Flower
Are You?

Announcement

2009-03-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

The new blog title, "Wool and Wonder" indicates the merging of my personal blog "In Rivers" and my crafting blog "Wonderlamb." With a new little one in our lives, I'm all about simplifying these days, and it seemed a logical step to blend the two blogs, as making stuff is so interwoven with my everyday living. So, this means that along with the tales of our family's comings and goings, I'll also be sharing some of the "making" that I'm up to, and hopefully crafting a space that sparks your creative interest as well. It also means a more varied readership will be visiting this blog address, as we have now linked this blog directly to our wonderlamb website.

Amelia

The Littlest One

2009-03-07T12:51:00.001-08:00

Nesting Memories

2009-02-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed to get through most of my pregnancy in a fairly sane way, but the ninth month has definitely had its share of eccentricities. A few highlights/confessions:
1. I convinced my patient husband to use one of our final precious weekends to paint the entire living room blue;

2. A few days later, saw a mint green (you heard me- MINT GREEN) antique wingback chair in a little consignment shop and purchased it on the spot;
3. Took on a ridiculous amount of sewing jobs on top of boutique orders- even agreed to make a 4 foot tall Humpty Dumpty (this deserves its own blog entry- stay tuned), as well as curtains, a baby blanket, and this batch of cloth diapers;

4. Developed an insatiable craving for za'ataar (ZAH-tar) - a mediterranean blend of herbs/spices (dried thyme, sesame seeds, salt and sumac) on pita bread with olive oil. DELISH with some fresh tomatoes and cukes. I may or may not be munching on some za'ataar as I write this entry...

Spring, is that you?

2009-02-18T16:33:00.001-08:00

I know that spring has not officially arrived yet, but here in Vancouver, we had our First Warm Day- that day when you can stand in your snowy yard without a jacket, birds chirping all around, and the warm air melting away the snow and all your built-up wintery tension with it.
Sam and I spent the afternoon exploring our long-neglected backyard, and finding lots of spring surprises there.
The first delicate flowers, blooming not in the garden, but willy-nilly across the lawn, in the fence crevices, and at the base of the rose bush.

We also dug out Sam's sandbox toys, and discovered they work just as well with melty-crunchy snow: behold Monsieur Snow Crab.

And moments later... the swift and tragic demise of Monsieur, at the hands of a certain young boy, for whom Making and Wrecking are equally valid and enjoyable activities.

No baby news yet- but am at the point where likely a good brisk walk would be enough to send me into labour. I won't take this walk yet though, because I have just one more bit of sewing to do, and then it's ALL finished! Baby can arrive tomorrow :)

Sam the Snowman

2008-12-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

We had our first real snow day here today, and Sam's been getting a good dose of snowy fun. It started snowing last night, and hasn't let up all day. I love it! Sam wore his new snowsuit for the first time, which made him about as wide as he is tall. At first he just wanted to walk around the house in his snowpants, listening to the "swish-swish-swish," but eventually I was able to coerce him to go outside. Here's a few pics from this afternoon...

wonderlamb goes home

2008-11-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm sort of cross-posting here from my other blog, but I have to give a shout out to a certain savvy Cindy Best: thanks to her initiative, I had a very enthusiastic and persistent boutique owner convince me to go cross-country with wonderlamb. So, by this time next week, our animals and new woolly flower pins will arrive at Buttercup & Co. boutique in Peterborough. There's some kind of special happiness for me in having this connection between my life here and my hometown- a feeling that things have come "full circle." An early Christmas gift- many thanks Cindy.

Feeling Christmas-y...

2008-11-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am humming carols, swilling apple cider and digging out the decorations already- can't help it. When that Christmas feeling strikes, I say just go with it. Had a few friends over recently on a rainy Saturday morning for a card-making shindig, and as my pathetic scrapbooking supplies amounted to a single package of white card stock, I decided to use a material I have in abundance these days- wool. I had grand card-making plans that morning. TWENTY, I announced, I would make by the end of our time together. But between the telling of stories, the apple cider, pumpkin loaf, and the swapping of political views, I made... umm... four.

I love the Farmers' Market

2008-09-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

We recently spent a crisp September morning at the lake and the nearby farmers' market. Here are some pics from our meanderings.

The ducks...
Sam Yassin, Goose-Herder Extraordinaire

Fresh-cut flowers at the market

Choosing a bunch to take home
Our market bounty

Most Unusual Dinner Guests

2008-09-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

We invited Nat and Cat over to our place for dinner a couple weeks ago, and had a rather unorthodox evening with them. I'm afraid they've upped the ante for dinner guests everywhere...

We had finished our meal, and were calmly and civilly reposing in the living room, when into our quiet conversation Nathanael suddenly interjected: "We brought a rocket with us. Let's go outside and launch it."

It was a plastic bottle rocket, half-filled with water, and launched with the air pressure of a NASA-approved bicycle pump. Here, for your enjoyment is one of the first flights of this gravity-defying rocket, captured in high-def digital recording. Prepare to witness the awesome power and vertigo-inducing heights of this IMAX-worthy documentary.

Okay, that was actually one of the first test flights- but still...

So, anyway, in conclusion, I'd just like to say... thanks a lot Nat and Cat. Now we're all going to have to come up with something better than a lousy bottle of wine the next time we're invited to dinner.

Any Readers Still Out There??

2008-08-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yep, the Yassins are still alive and kickin', though you wouldn't know it by this poor, abandoned blog...
So, lets see here... we've moved house... Sam was a great help with loading my dad's trailer...

and we are now enjoying much more space and a nice grassy backyard to boot- that means dinners outside, lots of sun, and a whole new backyard world for Sam.
We also started up wonderlamb in December of last year, (a bunch of you have already found the blog for it), which has been lots of fun, and a stimulating project to apply ourselves to. Our website is all thanks to my very talented and supportive husband, who put it together from scratch. (Feel free to stop on by and leave a hello on the blog!)

One more piece of news before I sign off: Sam will have a new brother or sister by late February of next year. I had my first listen to the new little whooshing heartbeat this week. What a sound- and amazing to think that although this baby is only about 3 inches long right now, he or she already has such a heart pumping away. cool.

Sam and his New Car

2008-01-31T22:42:00.001-08:00

A Good Year

2008-01-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

How 'bout that. One whole year...

The poster in the background is the Arabic version of the birthday song (helpfully transcribed in English letters). The words mean: "A good year to you, beautiful boy."

Mealtime Laughs

2007-11-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Sam is currently mastering the skills of "picking-up-food" and "putting-it-in-his-mouth." We got this shot a few days ago as we were eating dinner. Sam had picked up a Cheerio and, with a grandiose air, swept his arm impressively above his head, turned his head up to receive the Cheerio, swung his arm down towards his mouth, and STUCK the Cheerio directly onto his nose! He looked around for a second, wondering where that Cheerio had gone, then decided he wouldn't bother about it, and went on with his meal. Fortunately, that Cheerio was well stuck on, giving us lots of time to get the camera and snap away, laughing all the while.

Sam's Many "Firsts"

2007-08-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a month of "firsts" for young Master Sam Yassin. Here are a few highlights:

First attempts at crawling

First nights of uninterrupted sleep
(insert choir singing Handel's Messiah "Hallelujah" refrain)

First foods

First kisses

First (mum-assisted) steps

First exploration of the kitchen cupboards

First best bud.... Eeyore

Hooray for pictures!

2007-06-20T21:39:00.001-07:00

Time for a little pictorial update... Here are some highlights from May/June.

At the lookout on Cypress Mountain with Grandpa. It's
a little hazy, but that's Stanley park and the downtown
of Vancouver in the background

Sam may look gentle in this picture, but he was
actually pummeling Ashraf with his heels at the
time- he can really deliver a good kick.

Sam's first swim. Check out his totally dorky
swimming trunks. Too cute.

Like father, like son...

Hiking/Snoozing at Goldstream Park on Vancouver Island

April Update

2007-05-09T02:16:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, it's a glorious morning... 2:15 in the morning, to be exact... and a certain little person, (who, for the record, is usually a champion sleeper), has decided to have a playtime in the middle of the night. So, while he is squirming away happily beside me, I thought now would be a great time for a blog update!

April was a bit of a whirlwind, and the blog sort of fell to the wayside. With the warmer weather has come lots of spring cleaning, day trips, and a general bustle of activity.

We've started preparations for our trip to Israel this summer- we're very excited to bring Sam back home to meet his Yassin grandparents (and uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins, etc, etc, etc!) We'll be stopping in Italy on the way home for the wedding of Ashraf's next-oldest brother. How fun!

Sam introduced us to his belly laugh this month. Best sound in the world. It's turned us into funny-face-making fools, just trying to get him to do it one more time. He's such a blast.

I'll put some pictures on the next entry; they won't load properly at the moment.

That's all for now!

Naptime with Sam

2007-03-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

"Naptime! Wow! This is fun, Mum!
What's our next game?"

Together Again

2007-03-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

A cold wind cuts through the Arrivals waiting area at Vancouver International Airport, as the automatic doors swish rhythmically open and closed, carts and luggage and travelers passing through in a steady stream. I lean down to Sam in his car seat, tuck his blanket more snugly around him, and wonder aloud to Ashraf if Sam will stay warm enough in his seat. Lifting my eyes back to the monitor that shows passengers exiting the plane, I squint for a glimpse of my sister’s face. We know she will be here any minute; tanned and sandaled passengers have begun trickling in to the waiting area in two’s and three’s. Steph and Hayden can’t be far behind.

And then, there they are- I fumble in my coat pocket for the digital camera. I’ve been appointed video-grapher for the event. I look up and hurriedly switch on the camera- some have already taken off at a run to meet her. Through the screen on the camera I watch Steph’s beautiful eyes widen and dimples appear as she takes in one after another of her family who’ve come to surprise her. “Whaaaaat?” she exclaims with a wide smile.

Now we have five days together- five days to get to know each other again. It’s what we all will be doing this weekend: peering between the lines of our conversations, meals and games, to recognize the adult version of the sibling we remember. Everything is at once familiar and foreign; old jokes, new perspectives, well-known traits that have blossomed in unexpected ways. We’ve all gone and Become something in cities far from each other- Auckland and Kitchener, Vancouver, Toronto, Banff, Peterborough and Ottawa. This is our family reunion.

a writer's block of sorts....

2007-02-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

So, I’m having a bit of a challenge with blogging these days… it’s not that I don’t have the time, it’s just that the only topic I can think of to write on is Sam. It seems like everything in my life now revolves around Sam- what I work at, what I enjoy, what I end up wearing on my shirt... "I'm covered in 'mommy'!" as Dr. Bailey of Grey's Anatomy so aptly puts it. (yes, sadly, I'm addicted to that show).

Now, some of you might politely say go ahead, write about Sam, we’d love to hear about Sam in every single blog entry! But really, what would I write? Let’s face it- newborns really aren’t up to amusing, anecdotal hijinks all day, are they? When such blog-worthy hijinks occur, I will be sure to post them, but in the meantime, I’d like to still bring some variety of topics in my entries. I just can’t think of any these days… so, any suggestions?

(and until I hear some interesting ideas/queries, it’ll just be Sam, Sam, Sam…)

And to sign off, for your viewing pleasure, the many funny faces of Sam Yassin:

This look says, "I'm not sure that I like this business proposal of yours, but I'll have my people look at it."

This is the "I'm sharing a hearty guffaw with my friends" look.

This is the look Sam uses most often to intimidate those who would pick him up... kind of a "and YOU are...?" look.

happy Sam...

wide-eyed Sam...

At Home With Sam

2007-01-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ashraf and I are loving our first week at home with Sam. Everyday, there are new surprises and discoveries, learning and getting to know our little baby boy. Our topics of conversation have been reduced to only: “Isn’t he wonderful? Isn’t he so cute? Isn’t he such an angel?” It’s a little repetitive I guess… but what can ya do?

Sam is thriving; he’s feeding well, sleeping well, and now starting to have alert times in the day when we can interact with him.

Perhaps the best word to describe how we feel is “amazed.” We are simply amazed at this incredible gift from God, our boy.

"Woman of Labrador"

2007-01-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

One of the ways I’m keeping my mind occupied these days (while waiting for a certain big event) is reading. A few days ago, I went to the library and rather than searching on the computer by topic or by title, I just went up and down the non-fiction aisles, pulling out any titles that seemed interesting. One book turned out to be a real gem, so I thought I’d do a little “book review” on my blog. Perhaps some of you out there are looking for a good read.

Now, I hesitate to recommend movies to other people, and I absolutely refuse to recommend works of fiction to others- one person’s perception of a novel can be so different from the next. Novels that have been recommended to me with comments like, “I couldn’t put it down,” or “You will laugh your head off” or “I cried four different times while I was reading it” invariably fail to have the same effect on me.

Works of non-fiction, however, I feel somewhat safer in recommending - perhaps because they allow for a more concrete description of their contents. The book I read this week is “Woman of Labrador” by Elizabeth Goudie. Elizabeth Goudie (1902-1994) was a trapper’s wife, born and raised in northern Labrador. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction of the book:

Following the death of her husband in 1963, Mrs. Goudie found time going slowly and looking out the window at all the irreversible change that had taken place since 1940, she started to relive her past life – only in her mind at first but then when she realized that her grandchildren could never know that other life, she decided to commit the events of her life to pen and paper. Armed with pencils, school scribblers, a fourth grade education and a lifetime of experiences, Mrs. Goudie has written a human document full of joy, fear, humour, and tribulation.

I found the book to be fascinating as a historical document, but its real “punch” is in the humanity that unfolds on every page. The writing style and pace were also very appealing to me- there’s no “filler” or “fluff” in her stories- they stand on their own without needing embellishment. Mrs. Goudie may have been an unlikely author, but I couldn’t help thinking when I finished the book how very fortunate we all were that she did pick up a pencil in the first place.

Counting weeks now, not months!

2006-12-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Seeing as I've officially begun my ninth month,
I thought that a couple updated "belly pictures" were in order.

Saying hello to baby...

The baby is doing very well, gets the hiccups quite often these days (an interesting feeling for mom!), and kicks for joy whenever the fancy takes him. I'm very much enjoying these last few weeks- just having time to think and rest, and trying to resist the urge to dust, clean, scrub, reorganize and sew absolutely everything in sight :) (I have not been so successful in resisting thus far). Ashraf is really enjoying his new job and all its challenges and has even found time on the weekend for him and my dad to build a massive wardrobe/closet for us- it is quite a sight to behold and solves all of our storage needs.
We're really looking forward to Noah and Robyn's visit (what a treat- a whole week with them!) and to our first Christmas with my parents out here.

Hope you're all enjoying the season, with many happy plans ahead :)

A Winter Wonderland

2006-11-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

Vancouver is buried under a deep blanket of snow.

Unexpected
and wondrous.

"Norse am I when the first snow falls;
Norse am I till the ice departs."

"The curved wind wraps me like a cloak;
The pines blow out their ghostly smoke.
I'm high on the hill and ready to go -
A wingless bird in a world of snow:
Yet I'll ride the air
With a dauntless dare
That only a child of the north can know."

-lines from "The Song of the Ski" by Wilson MacDonald
-pictures taken on a walk through the park this weekend

From vision to practical action

2006-10-31T17:59:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard about this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, you should definitely check this out. Take a break from the usual headlines and read about one of the really cool things going on in the world right now...

From cbc.ca:

"Economist Muhammad Yunus did what others who are in a comfortable financial position do from time to time: Give to those in need. His first notable donation was $27 US for villagers in his native Bangladesh that could help "liberate" them from debt. But then, he turned his sights on turning convention — about banking, about fighting poverty, about helping the poor — on its head..."

From the Peace Prize Citation:

"Muhammad Yunus has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people."

Be inspired, be encouraged and be provoked.
Read all about it here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/nobel/yunus-microcreditbank.html

a good quote...

2006-10-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Service is the virtue that distinguished the great of all times and which they will be remembered by. It places a mark of nobility upon its disciples. It is the dividing line which separates the two great groups of the world- those who help and those who hinder, those who lift and those who lean, those who contribute and those who only consume... Service in any form is comely and beautiful. To give encouragement, to impart sympathy, to show interest, to banish fear, to build self confidence and awaken hope in the hearts of others, in short- to love them and to show it- is to render the most precious service.
- Bryant S. Hinckley

(In the picture, my lovely sister-in-law Hadje and her beautiful daughter Yara)