High Rotation Monday #8 (the "Again already?" edition)

Another week has flown by. We are counting down to our epic trek South. We fly to Australia this coming weekend so lots of what this last week has been about is getting organised in a largely disorganised world.

Drawing:
More Botanical Water-Cooler conversations. (above)

Watching:
We watched the first four episodes of Netflix's House of Cards which I will continue to watch, despite not liking any of the characters much yet - especially now that (trying not to spoil) Z disappointingly shifted the power by sleeping with X... while Y didn't sleep with sleazy ex-W due to, I'm not sure, feelings of loyalty to X? Disappointing all 'round. Such a let down in a show that seems to have a good number of gutsy, powerful, interesting women characters. But I will continue to watch.

Reading:
Books for Mother/Daughter bookclub. The brainchild of one of my friends here on the island. It's just as it sounds - Mums and Daughters get together once a month or so for book discussion. We rotate book choice and hosting with book inspired snacks being all the rage. Thus far we have read Because of Winn-Dixie, A Wrinkle in Time (both the novel and graphic novel were included in the discussion) and Island of the Blue Dolphins. Grade five seems to be the perfect age for this, and ours is a small group of five girls and five mums. The girls are all from a collection of different schools but they will all be going into (deep, dark) middle school together next year so this is a good way for them to get to know one another. You would be amazed at the enthusiasm of this group as they chat about the books.  The girls have strong opinions and they experience the books with such strong sensitivity. Super cool.

Amelia and I both read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell last week and loved it. Micro-review: Based on a true story. A 19th Century Nicoleño Indian girl is stranded on a small island off the coast of California for 18 years, left behind after the rest of her people are taken away by boat by white people.  She waits for her own rescue while surviving many hardships - including wild weather, wild animals, isolation and grief. It was slow to start but after about a third of the way through neither of us could put it down. I had to download an e-version to compliment our old tattered print copy so that we could read side-by-side. Everyone else at bookclub loved it too - though it should be said that some found it scary and sad in places.

Also:

I was talking about this article the other day to someone - (Kim? Aidan? Maybe both you guys?) and I see that GeekDad has re-posted it again - it's a good one:  67 Books Every Geek Should Read to Their Kids Before Age 10.

Cooking:
I'm still hunting down pad-thai recipes - this one looks pretty good. (via Dinner, A Love Story - my new favourite food blog)

I made chicken wings with a blue cheese dip which was pretty good.

Lastly:

Don't we live in a pretty place? It really is as good as those pics, especially on days like today when the sun is shining.

My soon to be niece-in-law wrote this piece on her blog about the traditions of name taking and giving. I gave her the advice "do what you like!" - and if my ultimate plan works then they will be one day moving to Salt Spring, and each one of their children can all be given different last names (or even better, choose their own last names) and fit in with everyone else on this crazy island. 

Anyway, time to go and do something constructive. March Fourth!

High Rotation Monday (er, Tuesday) #7

Watching
Electronic music producer j.viewz plays Massive Attack's Teardrop on vegetables using the MaKey MaKey.

Also watching
In the cinema! In the city! I spent the weekend in Vancouver and finished it with a movie. What a treat: Silver Linings Playbook. I didn't know anything about it before we went to see it and I loved it. I will call this my favourite movie of recent times.

Eating
Roast Chicken - one of my favourites since childhood. I usually stuff the chicken with a boiled, pierced lemon (boiled (to make it extra juicy) when I am par-boiling the potatoes) and a big, generous handfull of fresh thyme. Our thyme has all but died off and Spring is still some way away so I found this recipe on Etsy (which seems to be doing more food stuff lately) and will give it a try.

Pad Thai - dinner out at Krua Thai in North Van on Saturday was so good. Their "all time house-favourite" Pad Thai was delicious. Now I am craving more but North Van is not that easy to access. My pantry is, however, and I found a recipe for a pantry-staples version at Hellobee. This one also looks good. I wonder if I can find tamarind here on the island.

Reading
Oliver Jeffers books. I was lucky enough to see Oliver Jeffers talk about his life, his work and his process at the The Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable annual illustrator's breakfast on Saturday. He was inspiring, entertaining and incredibly talented, of course. Here are my favourites of his:

Looking
While in Vancouver we stopped by the gallery and checked out the Art Spiegelman Co-Mix exhibition which was fantastic and comprehensive. If you are at all remotely interested in alternative, underground comics or illustration this retrospective is well worth the admission fee.

Carving
I've carved out a little space in the corner of the sitting room to be my studio. Now I have no excuse. Back to work!

High Rotation Monday #6

Smoothies
We are trying to compile a list of our top favourites so the freezer is full of fruit and the fridge full of tubs of yoghurt. So far we are loving one we have dubbed The Flying Purple People Eater - blueberries, banana, vanilla yoghurt and almond (soy, coconut, cow, whatever) milk. A close runner-up was a banana/peanut butter combination (whizzed with some honey and enough almond milk to keep it moving). I also have a bag of baby spinach waiting to be turned into something bright green and alarmingly healthy.

Reading
I am just about to start The Night Circus by Erin Morgensen for book club, on my suggestion. It's always a bit nerve-wracking finding a book to recommend for book club but one of my club comrades read it overnight and she told me she loved it and wrote on my facebook wall "Just finished Night Circus. I cried a bit cause it was over and I wanted it to go on and on. SO GOOD. Thanks!" so I'm relieved and I'm looking forward to it.

I downloaded the Silver Linings Playbook (Matthew Quick) sample chapter for my kindle last night and started reading it while I was sitting in the dark waiting for the small kid to go to sleep. I think I will end up clicking "purchase" at the end of the sample.

Recommending
I wrote a piece for the Children's Book Review - Five Family Favourites. I had to narrow down all our favourite books to our top five... it was tough.

Watching
"...plusss another guy".
This last week was the second week of a screen-free challenge month the kids are doing for school. They have already used up their two allowed "flex days" - one to watch a film at a friend's house, the other to enjoy a glut of video games, tv, and computer time the Saturday before last. The rest of the month might be a little bit of a struggle. On their precious flex day, I think we watched this video close to 15 times. The kids can recite it word for word. 

Cards Against Humanity
A party game of pure, offensive craziness. Think Apples to Apples, for adults. We first played this in Portland in a pub with a group of fellow XOXO attendees, mostly strangers, and it was one of the best evenings of the event. Since we have played it with small groups and very big groups and it's always a lot of fun. Not one for kids, or even when kids are in earshot, but a great way to laugh so hard your stomach muscles ache the next day.

High Rotation Monday #5

Colour -- I need colour... The temperature is starting to rise a little but there is a cloud hanging over our house most days. I have been drawing and stitching and knitting and surrounding myself with lots and lots of colour. It seems to be working. 

Reading.
Amelia and I have been reading A Wrinkle in Time. Lily and I have been reading The Wishing Chair (the "children off on adventures through space and time" theme continues). I have been reading Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness for book club, and The Family Dinner (our Taco Tuesday experiment begins tomorrow) which is making me feel like I might be getting one tiny, happy thing right when it comes to our chaotic family life. 

Knitting.
I'm back into it again. I have found a friend here who is a knitting whizz and can help me navigate complicated patterns and brainstorm fabulous ideas. She has even encouraged me to buy some yarn from Purl Soho -- so you see, she a very good kind of friend. A knitting gang has spontaneously generated. I like my knitting crew - even though I tend to travel to distant parts of the island for knitting evenings and then realise I have no gas left in my car... thus ensuing madcap, terrifying late-night drives home, filling up my tank from friends' lawnmower gas supplies at various stops all the way back up the island. 

And so Ravelry.com (find me here) is back in high rotation.

I have my eye on this pattern. What do you think? Too tricky? I've never done cables before.

One day I may even knit a sweater for a horse.

Hourly Comics Day
Hourly Comics Day was last Friday-- the idea is to draw one comic every hour about something that happened in the hour before. I took part last year and it was pretty fun. I decided to try again this year and did two comics (one at 6am and one at 7am) before realising that it wasn't going to be compatible with my busy day. It's so much work and completely exhausting. I admire anyone who manages to squeeze it in to their days. Here are some from a few folks who not only managed to complete a comic every hour but who also managed to be bright, sensitive, moving, entertaining and talented all in a bundle:

Eleanor Davis
Anthony Clark
Emily Carol

And now, some cheerful music - close your eyes and pretend it's Sunny: 

via Songs for the Day.

My kids have just started karate classes so we have been talking about martial arts a little bit. Capoeira is incredible. 

High Rotation Monday #4 - the plotting, planning and dreaming edition

I skipped a week - last week would have been "the tired edition"... this week not so much. Energy is back and plots and plans are creeping in again. I'm a dreamer, like that little kid in my photo up there.

1. Menu planning: I have been feeling culinarily uninspired for various reasons; picky eaters, lack of time, high expectations to eat healthier all contribute.  When adding all that to the fact that our grocery bills seems out of control at the moment, I have decided to get back to weekly menu planning. This kind of organisation really runs counter to my basic personality so it requires concerted effort. Thankfully there are delicious food blogs to pore over. Last night I discovered the blog Meal Planning 101. It looks great - and while it's heavily skewed to a meat-eating diet - there are tonnes of recipes, tips, plans and shopping lists. The above image (1) is Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala from the site. I am going to finish this post and then sit down and map out a week of good eats.

2. Business Planning: I am in the early stages of a new plan... and it's all going swimmingly. I think November and December always bring new plans in mind for me, ready for the new year that's coming. Helping me figure things out a little are The Boss of You by Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon, Craft Inc by Meg Mateo Ilasco (2) and The Artist's Way at Work by Julia Cameron et al. Also -- The Top 50 Etsy Parents for ideas, and the wonderful Etsy Seller Handbook blog.

3. Advent Planning: Every year we count down the days in December until Christmas with an advent calendar. Since Amelia was very small our advent has been full of simple activities rather than small gifts. We have had a flat couple of years when it comes to Advent - it has been hard matching the expectation and excitement of years past with the reality of the simple surprises as the girls get a little older (and more cynical). Regardless, it's about hanging out together, laughing, silliness, special treats and crafting. That never gets old. Despite their great age (10 and 6!)  and the raised eyebrows and the occasional grumpy "whatever", any time there is mention of advent activities both girls always say "make sure we get sock puppets telling us bedtime stories one night!" - it's possible we'll still be doing some version of that for years to come. And I am sure there will be the ever-popular "crazy hair at dinner time". The image above (3) is from our first year of advent madness when Amelia was just a wee thing. Here are my pinterest boards which will be helping with my advent planning: Kids, Crafty and Holidays.

4. Planning Parties? No thanks...but I like imagining the perfect one: and I would quite possibly use the tips in this 1960s copy of the Esquire Party Book (4) (thanks Skott!) and I would also take notes from Kate's 10 Ingredients for a top party.

5. Emergency planning: I need to get onto this as storm season sets in. Last night we lost power for 4 hours and I was left scrambling through drawers in the dark looking for the last of the tealight candles. Power is back on today, so I can enjoy some music until the winds pick up again:

High Rotation Monday #3 - the miniature edition

Back again with bits and pieces we have been seeing, thinking, feeling and doing around here. This week it's all about the mini.

miniworld02

miniworld3

miniworld04

Visiting:Miniature World in downtown Victoria (British Columbia). If you are (or ever were) even remotely interested in the world of miniatures - or the world of bizarre obsessions - or have children who will appreciate historic scenes or elaborate dollhouses carefully contructed from balsa wood, model paint, polymer clay, and gallons of glue you must visit MiniatureWorld. And make sure you stop at the foyer to pick up some of the postcards straight out of the 1970s.

jessquinn

jessquinn02

Inspiring:Jess Quinn (above) whose work is DELICIOUS and makes me want to make things again. (Jess's image reposted with her permission). That beautiful fox doll is for sale here.

lillehuset

Christmas shopping: Lille Huset little wooden houses from Grow Studio are sweet sweet sweet.

Listening: Freelance Whales new album. There's nothing miniature about this album - lots of big, layered sound... and I love it.

There will be more miniature craziness this week I am sure - stay tuned for fairy door mayhem.

High Rotation Monday #2

(please click on the photos for sources)

More good things from chez Loobylu this week:

Pinning: Prudence Pins! (above) One of my favourite crafty mums, Kelly, from Prudence Pouts, has a delicious Pinterest collection. Follow all of her boards and inject colour and whimsy into your pinterest stream. You can find my pins here.

Cards from the game Dixit

Playing: The board game Dixit - It's a little like Apples to Apples -- kinda, sorta -- but using art cards with no words (above). We have had multiple games in front of the fire this week and while it takes a little time to get your head around, it's a lot of fun and gets kids thinking creatively. Here's an episode of Tabletop where Wil Wheaton et al play Dixit. You can watch the first five minutes to get a really good understanding of the game. It seems complicated but I am increidbly impressed with how quickly kids seem grasp the concept. It's a obviously a very natural way for them to think.

Also - online this week I have been playing Letterpress and I have to tell you I am quite addicted. I am sure it's good for keeping dementia at bay so it's totally good for you.

Watching: The Five Year Engagement - A good RomCom! it doesn't hurt that it features Jason Segel, Emily Blunt (who can be in anything and I would love it), Rhys Ifans and one of my all time favourite songs Sweet Thing by Van Morrison. It runs a little long, and could have lost a chunk in the middle somewhere but it's great to watch with a whisky, a box of minty girl guide cookies and a pair of fluffy slippers.

Speaking of Jason Segel- we have started watching Freaks and Geeks again on Netflix. If you haven't seen this - you really should as it's also totally delightful.

Halloweeny: Bizarre Vintage Halloween Costumes (via my friend Dom Pettman) for inspiration... though my kids are going as a black cat and Laura from Little House in the Big Woods... nothing too bizarre about that.

Listening: Book on Tape Worm - Shadow Puppets. I think I have played this about forty times in the last week - from Adam's songsfortheday (who also gave me this idea to do a Monday links round-up - thanks Adam).

Book on Tape Worm - Shadow Puppets from Jason Moffat on Vimeo.

High Rotation Monday

Recommendations for you on this cloudy Monday

1) Puzzling: Marc Boutavant is one of my very favourite illustrators. We have both these (above) fabulous, big ( 38'' x 11.5'') Djeco Marc Boutavant jigsaw puzzles... they are perfect for a 6 year old to do quickly and busily on their own. The second ice-skating one is hard to find but it seems the lovely pink tree puzzle is still available.

. . . .

2) Gazing at pretty things:  Out my window is a heavy grey sky. I don't mind in the least, but I am craving colour - and lots of it. I can't get over the colour in this incredible 1751 Franklin County, Massachusetts house. It belongs to Kristin and Mark Nicholas who unsurprisingly run a knit, crochet and stitch business. Now I am gazing at our very staid wedgwood blue bathroom walls with a plan to make it a little less depressing.

Eclectic Hall design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

Eclectic Staircase design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

Eclectic Spaces design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

Eclectic Dining Room design by New York Photographer Rikki Snyder

A bazillion more photos can be found here.

. . . .

3) Reading: I have just finished two great, easy-going books about quirky, dysfunctional families covering themes of creativity & parenthood and if you like books about quirky, dysfunctional families (which I really, really do) then I highly recommend both.

The first is Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel written by Maria Semple who started her writing career writing for Ellen, Mad About You and Arrested Development. I loved the characters in this book. I wanted to move to Seattle and visit with them - or at least visit the fabulous house Bernadette created. I was sad when the book was over. You'll love it too... Her first novel This One Is Mine: A Novel is also about a quirky, dysfunctional family and is equally as readable but the characters are not ones you'd be wanting to spend vast amounts of time with - imho. Anyway, Maria Semple. Check her out. Also - check out her 7 Favourite Funny Books on Huffington Post - I was destined to become a Maria Semple fan considering what she wrote about one of my favourite books Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido.

The Family Fang: A Novel - by Kevin Wilson is also great and interesting and thoughtful - a family of passionate, obsessive, wacky performance artists and the fallout from their life/art decisions as the children grow up and away.

. . . .

4) Kitchen dance party this week - Michael Jackson's Thriller & Beat It and there has been dishwashing and table setting to this one by the Kopecky Family Band - Their album, Kids Raising Kids, is out tomorrow.