she's crafty

it is november. my goodness! the school year is ticking along and here we are half way to christmas. I have been feeling particularly domestic these days and wanting to make things. wanting to cook, sew, knit and general crafty. last weekend was very productive: made dinner 2 nights, worked on a new upcoming sculpture/wearable art project, hit the knit shop, sorted materials for book making and compiled the do-do list for an upcoming craft fair and christmas. will keep you posted as things progress...

owl update

update: we called the vet to check on our patient. he's in for observation: he had a concussion, so good thing we took him in! apparently they have had a few reports about owls- they seem to be having trouble on their migration this year! he was also eating (we did not ask) but hope it was a little frisky mouse (sorry mice lovers!)

feathered friend

my work had a cute little guest- we had a baby (or very small) owl banging against our front doors of the building at about 10am... crows were attacking him so our receptionist went out and caught him in a box, and now he is sitting up at reception. people keep coming to check him out... so cute. he seems calm in the box... not flapping around. we have called the SPCA/wildlife people to come and rescue him. we wished we had something to feed him... too bad we can't capture the mice which are such a problem here at the school! we want to keep him. when I was asked to cover the phones, which I often do, today instead I was asked to babysit the owl.

hail ceaser and bring on the whiskey, jack

had a late season camping trip this weekend. it was fabulous! went again with E + M and GK (who are camping superstars). this time we went up towards Harrison. the site was closer to the suburbs, so it was a bit busier, and my heading reflects
a shout out to the campsite rowdies this weekend. there were however no bugs so I guess the annoyances evens out. the weather was perfect. sunny and warm and totally blue, blue skies. our site was on a pretty little lake and there were a couple other parks and lakes very near by so we checked out all of them. the other girls went swimming as well as the lakes were cool yet refreshing. highlights include: setting up in the dark, our curious Whiskey Jacks, visits from toads, no mosquitoes, big fires, Oyama sausages, marshmallows and dark chocolate, all terrain bocce, sunshine, cozy tent, peach lambic, ice cream run, fresh air, naps in the afternoon.

Thank you crew for a lovely time. I am so buying a tent next summer!

what a difference a year makes

just back from a most lovely weekend away visiting miss B in Saskatoon. same weekend last year I helped her move there... this time she is so set up and good to go- beautiful new apartment, wonderful friends, knows all the hot spots and stories behind them.
highlights include: getting hugs at the airport, ms. N arriving too, football, skateshop, pasta dishes, crepes for brunch, breakfast nook, late night nook, girl time, slumber parties, farm land, studio visit, walking lots, river, blue skies, new friends, nice boys, lattes twice a day, party dresses and party girls.

whats cooking hot stuff?

what do we have here? thought I would share one of my favorite recipes and most well received dinners (from my limited repertoire)
its easier than it sounds: chicken and peaches with rosemary wrapped in prosciutto (and a side of roasted yams and potatoes)

what you need (per serving):
chicken breast- skinless and boneless is what I use
1/4 of a fresh peach
2 slices of prosciutto
1 sprig of rosemary

lay out the prosciutto flat. lay the chicken breast in the centre. cut the peach into thin wedge slices and lay them out staggered on top of the chicken. lay a sprig of rosemary on top and then wrap that prosciutto tucking in all those peaches and rosemary. lay it in a pan. if you want the side of yams and potatoes all I do is cut into chunks, toss with olive oil salt and pepper and some more of the rosemary. it can all go in the same pan, and I put it in at about 365oC for about an hour. the peaches keep the chicken a little bit moist despite the long time in the oven and the prosciutto crisps up nicely.

life is a beach... and a mall

I just got back from my summer vacation with ms. f and what a great trip!
we did a circle trip down to the oregon coast and then to Portland... over a week. she and I had a great time and despite knowing each other since kindergarten, this is the longest we'd had a chance to hang out and catch up at one time since high school! we always have a nice time, good conversation and even better shopping luck when we are together. it was also my birthday last saturday so we had a big night out for that.
highlights include: road trip tunes, passport ready, hitting the beach, standing in the ocean, misty days, little red car, Seaside, safeway club cards, hot hot heat, catching up with CR and friends, shopping in the city, outdoor markets, Beavers VS Las Vegas baseball, drinks at new places, roof top patios, departures, new red dress, birthday sushi, drive home.

thank you ms. f and CR for the great vacation!