We would have late night socials here…

Image via House and Home

And this cutlery would deliver great delicacies to our mouths

Image via West Elm

Busy, busy, busy. This weekend was about the social graces of good friends and close family. Crawling out of our little hidey-hole and saying “ello” to all the important people in our lives. Dinner and drinks with dear colleague friends, more about our watering hole later. Book club. Movie night with gal pal, Anastasia. And dinner and desert with my beloved aunt, uncle and cousin. Busy, busy, busy. And I love it that way.

Get this. The whole Facetime thing has rocked my world. Yes, here we are… Mom, dad, Erik and I cooking dinner together -only my folks are in British Columbia and Erik and I are in Alberta. Provinces apart, catching up as if my parents are sitting at the kitchen counter. Seriously awesome stuff. Pay no attention to the post work out hat/hair catastrophe going on in this picture..

Confessional, I’ve been a serious book club delinquent as of late. Half read books, missed meetings. But The Great Gatsby was on the docket, and with the new movie on the cusp of arrival how could I miss such a great read/discussion. Most interesting part of the discussion was about the book’s original cover art by Francis Cugat and how it may have influenced S. Fitzgerald’s writing. Pretty nifty stuff. I love that our book club includes a couple English teachers… always keeping us on task.Total adoration for this marble fruit bowl. Over the moon.Remember all that talk about “feeling Spring”? Well, with 24 more centimeters of snow… spring may be delayed just a wee little bit. But that didn’t stop the mini-fam from venturing out for a walk-about.

In the event of hanging with the relatives -Aunt Sharon, Uncle Keith and Cousin David, and the holiday celebrating green brewskies, leprechauns and pots of gold I had a hankering to make Guinness Brownies.

Gooey goodness.

Ever heard of Laura Irwin? She is a Portland based knitter/pattern designer extraordinaire. I hadn’t heard about her until I walked into Close Knit last time we were visiting the Rose City.  After a quick introduction to her new pattern book, Softwaves, I was seriously glad I had. Big, chunky, funky, fun patterns. Scarfs, hats and all that jazz.  Her book consists of 5 patterns that yield the coziest, most stylish items I’ve seen in the knitting world since I started this whole hobby thing. So, for my most recent knitting project I crafted up this little number, aka the Softwaves Magnum scarf.

While in Portland I picked up this awesome yarn. Lana Grande, 100% Peruvian Highland wool by Cascade Yarns. The project was satisfying because it came to completion in under a few hours. Gotta love that instant gratification.

So go ahead pick up the book and get-in on this awesome knitting action.

Image via Laura Irwin

As if that cap with a pom pom on it isn’t calling your name. It’s certainly calling mine…

I would suds-up here…

Image via Nest Egg

With these gorgeous soap rocks.

 Image via Beklina

The sunny skies were calling all of our names this weekend…

I had great plans to dive into a new knitting project and finish up a sewing activity that has been in the works for way too long. I planned on baking something scrumptious, cleaning the house and inviting friends over for homemade pizzas and a movie. Buttttt… I hit the snooze button. I rested. I read. I curled up and got cozy instead.

We did manage to get moving for some long, lazy walks under the gloriously bright, shining sun.

And splash in a few puddles.

Eeeeekkk! Cam and Lia’s wedding invitation arrived.

And in a last-ditch effort to not feel like a total Jabba the Hut I cleaned and conditioned the leather. Ha. See I’m not a sad lump of lazy!

With all the to and fro I’ve been doing, I thought I would mitigate my spastic, forgetful tendencies and whip up a little place to tuck my class essentials so they are always in one place and easy to find. I made a little tote with snaps and an adorable lining to hold my class notes, stethoscope, light pen and other nifty tools. I used a few crafty machines; my new serger, my Silhouette Cameo, and lastly my snap n’ press.  And it all came together with a collection of  scrap fabric. Presto.

I would whip up a cuppa here…

Image via Martha Stewart

Scooping those freshly ground beans with this…

Image via Monosquare

The Boiling Pot. That’s what this week is…packed full of midterm exams, ‘scholarly papers’, assignments, quizzes. People are snapping! I spent a solid weekend staring at these…

That red textbook is three inches thick! And weighs 13 lbs! Yes, I am actually a person who would bust out a scale and weight their textbook… 13 lbs people! I kinda feel like I’m in an elite club. I’ve never owned a book so, so, so solid with information. Too bad I have to carry it…

Suffice to say…

Locked indoors, MIA. This weekend was about relishing the silly little good things in life. Here’s a few for kicks:

Our coffee collection, restocked. Because a brew of Sterling makes everyday start out great.

Super Hero’s visit a Children’s Hospital in Pennsylvania. Come on… how awesome is that.

Image via Pittsburgh Tribune

Ohhhhh yes, custom made Hazel Cox Jewelry, ordered in November, finally arrived. I am inspired to get sewing because something special must be paired with these gems. Happy day, happy day!

EXCUSE ME! I will drink anything that’s called, “Pure Heaven, out of this world pineapple juice”. It’s like drinking smiles in a glass.

A few other musings:

The length of my hair is showing growth, which is promising. I am currently the proud owner of the ridicously mini ponytail. None-the-less, it’s progress.

This weekend we cracked the bedroom window and reveled in the crisp (but not too cold) fresh air.  I can feel spring. It’s close.

My husband selflessly took pity on me and my library banishment. While I was out, he conquered Mt. Laundry and other non-fun house hold tasks. He’s the glue these days.

“Face Timing” with my folks. Since my dad’s recent retirement he’s trashed all their household electronics, and “Apple-ized”. Since then, we’ve been meeting weekly for our usual long, lovely conversation. Only now, I actually have to do my hair and put on pants. The best part of face timing with my folks is we spend at least 5 minutes humoring ourselves by shoving our nostrils into the camera, followed by someone else’s eye ball, followed by an ear. This purposeless activity results in absolute hysterics. It’s really good, school yard stuff. And I love it.

Well. Friends. Life is good. Don’t you think?

Home.

I’m trying something new…shaking things up…keepin’ it fresh. I’m joining in on a photo project for the month of February. A single pic, accompanied by minimal words. Feel free to join in!

I’m 30 and I have a yellow locker.

I’m trying something new…shaking things up…keepin’ it fresh. I’m joining in on a photo project for the month of February. A single pic, accompanied by minimal words. Feel free to join in!