TGIF

last friday of april

excited that friday has arrived!  i am very excited to be going home to the country to visit our {aaron & i's} parents.  i always have to smile when i get soo excited to escape this concrete jungle to what i used to call the 'arm-pit of the country'  funny how time/maturity changes your views on things...

wanted to shout from the roof-tops about an amazing blog in the name of love.  seriously, last night i stayed up till the wee hours reading, watching, laughing, crying at this site ~ such an inspiration.  Bianca is an amazing woman with an amazing ability to connect with whoever she is in contact with {i have never met her, but get this sense of connection by simply listening to what she has to say}  she inspires me to be the best person i can be, through my eyes and others.

please do check it out as you will not be disappointed, but the complete opposite!!!

thought i would also add some of my favorite random photos.  enjoy!

the ABC's of life

one summer, many moons ago, i found myself on an island.  not just any island, but one that seemed to move slower in time...  where instead of going to the local box grocery store for fresh produce, instead you walk/bike down the road to the nearest farm booth [found at the end of the lanes] to choose freshly picked produce/seeds/flowers amoung many other things...  the flea market is like no other as it is brimming with hand made/grown unique stuff.  of course i'm speaking of none-other than salt spring island in british columbia.  it was a summer that i will never forget {the memories or the amazing people} and think of daily when i read my marble slab with the abc's of life, which hangs in the bathroom.  [bathroom due to the fact that it is a place in the house that chances are most will visit :) and would i feel that everyone should gander at this slab of life...]

 Not only does the abc's of life slab remind me of the amazingly fun and adventurous summer, but this time of year: spring, more specificly around todays date as that is when Ed and i took different paths, back in 2006, for the summer to better ourselves for eachother {which did happen, as we had gotten engaged by the end of it...} 

something about when new seedlings are sprouting or fresh flowers reveiling themselves reminds me of how hard it was to leave everything i knew to go to the unknown.  

looking back i want to use the saying 'if you love something, let it go and if it comes back it is ment to be' ~ not that i ever let ed go, but that summer really did cement us together.  not that i would ever choose to be without him ever again, if can be helped.

had fun taking some photos of my newest blossoms in the yard, and well of course my favorite shaggy dog in the world...  enjoy!

Accept differences  Be kind  Count your blessings  Dream  Express thanks  Forgive  Give freely  Harm no one  Imagine more  Jettison anger  Keep confidences  Love truly  Master something  Nuture hope  Open your mind  Pack lightly  Quell rumors  Reciprocate  Seek wisdom  Touch hearts  Understand  Value truth  Win graciously  Xeriscape  Yearn for peace  Zealously support a worthy cause        ~ r. stewart

no, this turtle wind-chim is not from salt spring island, but

from another amazing island : Oahu, Hawaii

Fix-It Friday #51

Before:

After:

first bloom :)

the furry lil' flower

i was pleasently surprised to see my first bloom today.  funny as yesterday I had taken some photos, seeing how it was to bloom anyday, and today it did.  would like to introduce you to Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Rubra', the Pasque flower or as i like to call it my fuzzy flower!  enjoy

earth day

...its not easy being green

farley and I have just returned from our morning walk.  it amazes me how beautiful it is [weather wise], compared to last year this time..  makes my mind wander to how simply complicated the earth is and everything on it.

today i hope everyone takes a minute to really reflect on what impact their lives has on our earth.  For getting more 'earth friendly', today i am: getting a bike [as mine was stolen] and putting it to use as my main mode of transport, starting my garden by seed [most was collected from last years produce], really try to shower in a shorter time.

would like to list some of the 'green' things that i do on a daily basis:
~ hang all our cloths on our cloths-line
~ grow & preserve our produce from our organic garden
~ mow the lawn with a push-reel mower
~ use a programable thermostat
~ use biodegradable bags for the little tash we get
~ compost
~ use a reusable metal water bottle
~ pick up trash while on my walks with Farley Sprocket
~ unplug items when not in use/ use powerbars which can be switched off
~ turn off lights when not in the room
~ really try my hardest to follow the 3 R's:
               -reduce what i buy
               -reuse everything can have a 2nd chance!
               -recycle if cannot be reused

patiently waiting...

4:00~ish in the afternoon

no matter what i find myself doing [around 4 o'clockish] i have to stop to smile at Farley. he knows that one of his most exciting times of the day is upon him.

he is sitting, waiting..  until..

this is my favorite of the bunch ( :

i {heart} faces: desserts

tim-bitty-licious...

              is it not fun to play with your food?   

sunday walk

photos of our nightly walk-a-bout

the last of the snow at the park !)

*giggle*

eekk..  i really need to get my 'brows plucked..  :s

signs i found behind the recycling bins.. 

evening in the park

...evening at the park

this past friday was a trying day for me on soo many levels   :(

won't get into any details. (puzzled look on face)  i am still trying to understand...?

(shrug shoulders) sigh

..giggle..

...smile, as thinking,"could be worse..."

i am soo stoked that the weather is agreeing with us! meaning that we were able to get to finishing Doreen & Bills backyard.  it is not done yet....  only job left is the finishing touches on the patio, then we can focus on 'operation raising the garage'  ooohh the excitement !)

once back home from landscaping, went on our evening stroll.  both aaron and i were runnung on borrowed energy, so it was a hard decision to take farley to the off lease park.

had fun, farley ran and ran..

enjoy !)

garbage day

garbage day

getting in shape for my next big hurtle ~ project 365!

Had fun with this concept, and thought that would be kinda interesting for those who are not exposed to this type of garbage collection.  I'm sure the operator/driver was wondering if I was going to write him up for something or some wacki person with an obsession with garbage....

Anyhoo, take a look and give me some feedback !)

ol' fashion crisp !)

 Seeing that it is vacation week at I Heart Faces the challenge is yummy desserts. Considering I had rhubarb on the mind and in the freezer ~ saw an opprotunity to make some "spring" dessert: Apple Rhurbarb Crisp !)

 

Ol' Fashion Crisp

For this reciepe, I used a jar of canned apple pie filling !)

4 c. fruit*

1/2~3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

                                                        1/2 c. rolled oats

                        1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4~1/2 tsp. allspice

 1/3 c. cold margarine/butter

* Have used a wide varitey of fruit: mixed berries (frozen or fresh), peaches, apples, rhubarb, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, plums, etc...  You get to be creative !)

Rhurbarb from freezer !)

I had to double the reciepe, as my canned pie filing plus frozen

rhubarb made exactly 8 cups.  !)                  

1.   preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease 8 inch baking dish

2.   combine first 6 ingredients

3.  cut in margarine and sprinkle over fruit in greased 8 inch baking dish

4. bake at 375 degrees F for 30~35 minutes

         

           ~~makes 4 to 6 servings~~

One of my favorites!!!  I absolutly love this reciepe, as you can see it is simple to put together and is best served warm with ice cream !)