Here’s what to do:

When you have the time/space. Since last Monday when I was at the Sorauren Farmer’s Market (which, if you are in the area, you really should go to, it’s small but everyone there is nice and has beautiful local/organic produce) and met some nice ladies from Parkdale’s Westend Food Co-op who made me think about canning. And it’s Jana’s fault too, I guess. And Libs.

Yesterday I made pickled beets. I used this recipe and it’s seriously perfect. To think I was going to halve the recipe? I should have doubled it, Shannon’s already eaten half a jar.

Three jars. I expect them to be empty by the week’s end.

Today I made blueberry jam because blueberries are on sale and what is a girl to do with 4 cup of berries? Freezer jam. The direction was ‘crush’ the berries and I considered whizzing them in the blender but ended up just mashing them with my hands so it will be very chunky jam.

With crepes wrapped around giant blobs of it, I am very certain it will be most delicious.

Also of note, I saw an extremely cute car on my way to the grocery store and found out that Spongebob shills for corn watermelon.

If I were to send an open invitation for a canning party, here at my place (I have 2 kitchens and buckets of space) would anyone out there be interested?

Also, what can anyone tell me about Athens, Georgia? I have been looking at real estate there and for some reason I’ve got it in my head that it’s where I must live. Is it nice there?

Published 07/20/2010 – 5:08 pm Categories: a good day, food, making stuff is good | Comments (10)

What we done did do

Went swimming, we sure did. Some of us, at least. The water was crystal clear and cold as fuck, just like I like it. Little Bluff is my very favourite fresh water place to swim, I guess.  Don’t look too closely at my love handles, I promise I am working at making them smaller.

Then we ate a metric ton of sushi, watched movies, snuggled in bed, woke up to room service then shuffled Ari off to her grandmother’s to enjoy her cousins and some fresh air.  Now that I have Shannon all to myself for maybe a week, I have NO idea what to do with him as it’s been so long since we’ve had a break from parenting.

Luckily for me, a new LLCBO opened around the corner, that ought to help me make decisions.

Published 07/19/2010 – 4:06 pm Categories: love, we have fun | Comments (7)

Perspective

My mother asked about the size of the bricks used in the Japan style Lego project in my previous post, so I took a couple pictures to show just how small they are. I dug through Ari’s regular Lego collection and tried to find matching bricks. As you can see, they dwarf the Nanoblocks:

And for further perspective, here is the completed castle with my beloved 90210 ruler propped up against it. It’s surprisingly smaller than I even thought, less than 6″ high.

Published 07/12/2010 – 5:27 pm Categories: toys | Comments (10)

A group effort

Ari was sent a giant package from Japan including this micro lego set. It’s a little beyond Ari’s abilities (or rather, her patience and willingness to build something so detailed) so after her and Shannon completed the first 4 levels, I took it over and snapped a picture at the end of each level. It was most satisfying and I’d collect all the sets of this amazing toy if I could (I also completed all of the smaller sets of animals she got).

Then Shannon took over and created this flash file, which was probably just as much work, if not more.

Yay for collaborations!

Published 07/11/2010 – 4:59 pm Categories: Art!, toys, we have fun | Comments (9)

I live for this stuff

Feverishly trying to prove myself smarter than a fifth grader on my DS last night, I came upon this question:

I realize it’s blurry, that is part of the charm of taking pictures in a hurry with a camera phone. Phone camera.  Anyway, it reads:

WHAT IN NOT A TYPICAL SYMPTOM OF A BROKEN BONE?

IN! No, not IS,  IN! Ha ha! That means that not only am I smarter than a fifth grader, I am also smarter than the person that wrote this game and every person after that tested it. And Jeff Foxworthy, for sure.

(The answer they were looking for-which I got wrong-was DIZZINESS-but I swear that if I broke a bone I’d experience dizziness.)

This also means I never have to play that stupid game again.

Published 07/08/2010 – 7:55 pm Categories: haha, seriously? | Comments (6)

No kidding?

A collective groan is heard across the universe:

Not quite as clever a headline as you’d see on fark, but almost.

Published 06/30/2010 – 5:27 pm Categories: haha | Comments (4)

Viva la V.V.!

I know, it’s been a long time since I blogged about the greatest store on earth, Value Village. To be honest, not much has changed there and I rarely go any more. I trickled over today to look for plaques, like, award plaques for a project I’m working on and to do some donating. The lady accepting donations was very nice, I told her about coming home around 10 pm last Friday night and watching a family (adults and children about Ari’s age) rooting through bags left as donations. She told me that they know who they are and that they do it regularly.

This is stealing. And the donations that are left strewn about are usually ruined by the weather making them unsellable too.

I did find some treasures today and if they’d been priced a little lower, they’d be with me right now. The first is this beautiful green sculpture which is reminiscent of my high school project called Reclining Poo (which, incidentally, I broke, glued back together and still have!).

Hand made, can you tell? Only $2.99. In hindsight, it almost seems worth it.

This next guy is made of painted pebbles and he has a yarn cravat:

He’s exactly as cute as you think he is. Also $2.99.

And this pig. I used to collect pig things when I was a kid, this is something I would have begged for.

I resisted this time.

I did get some good scores, 2 plaques and a small trophy AND a copy of Gobblet, a game we’ve had the Jr version of for a while. And really, I only paid $5 for all that stuff, so maybe saying everything is over priced there is an exaggeration.

And this is for Ali, who will know why-feel free to post on facebook or wherever:

How is your skush anyway?

Published 06/28/2010 – 9:05 pm Categories: Art!, Griping, a good day | Comments (8)

Live free or die, indeed

There’s been a lot of excitement in the city I live in, Toronto, over the weekend. I’d largely ignored most of the G20 hype until Saturday night when friends started posting comments on facebook, angry with the destruction of businesses and police cars. By Sunday a lot of that anger was redirected towards the police and government, rather than at the activists, protesters and media.

I’d wondered when something about it would be posted on boing boing, usually Cory Doctorow is quick with stories about Toronto, but as Shannon reminded me, he does have a new book out to promote; some things are more important than social change. Then Xeni blogged a video I’d already seen.

The comments that followed it are pretty average, a lot of back and forth on all of it. Then this one, #79, that will hopefully help clarify the meaning of the black bloc for everyone:

To the people who are perplexed at why black bloc activists use militant tactics and destroy corporate property, and to those who think said activists are nothing more than “thugs” or “hooligans”:

You’re right, black bloc activists are not protesters. They aren’t there to protest, they’re there to take direct action against the machineries of oppression. Their actions are designed to cause material damage to oppressive institutions. But much more importantly, they’re intended as theatre. As a dramatized illustration that even in the face of an overwhelming police state, the people still have the power. That the cops and banks aren’t as omnipotent as they try to convince us, and it really is within our power to strike back if they turn against us. And that defying authority and subverting “law and order” doesn’t have to mean abandoning ethics, humanity, or care for your fellow man.

These are vital lessons that the public needs to be reminded of now more than ever. Even if you disagree with the particulars, I hope most people can agree that those in power (be they CEOs, heads of state or police chiefs) should fear the public. From the reports coming out of Toronto of police blatantly and smugly disregarding people’s basic rights, it seems that they have lost that healthy fear. It seems they see the public as a docile mass to be herded and controlled at will. Militant protest is an effort to keep the threat alive in a way that standing around waving signs never will, and for that we should be glad of it.

The more completely we forget our power to strike back at those who would dominate us, the more complete their domination becomes.

Thank you zikzak, whoever you are.

Published 06/28/2010 – 10:18 am Categories: daily grind | Comments (15)

Done!

I decided to go with no sleeves-after knitting half of one-because it’s a hot summer already and this sweater will only fit for about 5 more minutes.

I just need to weave in about 800 ends and it will be ready for wrapping paper. Next baby gets this sweater.  Or this dress. And obviously it better be a girl baby.

Published 06/17/2010 – 9:58 am Categories: babies, clothes, crochet, making stuff is good | Comments (11)

Other new new (well, newer-ish) project

Jana came upon an ad on Craigslist for free…stuff, I think it was a free bonanza really, and she kindly thought of me for the 4 giant boxes of fabric scraps. Lots of it was scary (polyester!) and unusable (biodegrading as you watch!) but some of it was super cute and vintage. There was a tiny bag within of tiny scraps of adorable flannel and I knew right away what  I wanted to make.

A postage stamp quilt.

Small, cute, perfect. I’m kind of following the instructions above, but as always, I am also doing my own thing. My squares, for example, are 2″x2″. As you can see, until I was interrupted by a certain someone’s bed time, I managed to cut 81 of them. I have more to cut, I think I’d like it to be 100 squares total, then a border, then binding.

And a close up because it’s worth it:

The kids fishing from a canoe is so cute, I wish I knew where it was from. I’d wrap my entire life in that stuff.

Published 06/12/2010 – 8:34 pm Categories: Art!, crochet, making stuff is good | Comments (7)