Showing posts with label urn inserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urn inserts. Show all posts

Friday, April 20, 2012

Insta-Friday in real life, spring renewal


Happy Friday!
For this week’s Insta-Friday, we are looking at cell phone photos with a theme of “spring renewal.”
Hopefully at this point we can expect a steady spring here in Ontario. You never really know when you could get more snow, though.
After a long winter, the kids and I needed some good hair cuts. I took them to my favourite salon in Toronto. My son likes to keep his hair longer now, so it requires a skilled stylist. These are their finished looks, above.

As you can see from his face, he wasn’t happy though. He wanted to keep the covering-his-eyes shaggy cut. Hair grows back, buddy. 
 
My daughter asked them to curl her hair. At least she was pleased. I guess I didn’t get a photo of my haircut. Oh well. 

 After we got our hair done, we headed to my parents’ house for my dad’s birthday party.
No, that isn’t my parents’ house. On the way, we pass one of my favourite homes. It backs onto the Grand River. So charming.
Okay, that wasn’t really about spring renewal, but I love that house. 


My tulips are trying really hard to recover from the weather fluctuations they have been exposed to. They don’t look happy, though. 

Remember those lovely urn inserts my mom and I made in winter? Probably time to get rid of them now.

Might be time to take down the Christmas lights too!

At least I finally got my snow tires taken off yesterday. Unfortunately, this week my husband's car needed all new brakes and tires. And, a strong wind on Monday blew our new barbecue over and broke the handle to bits. It also tore a bunch of shingles off our roof.
You just have to laugh.
How was your week? What are your spring projects?
Linking up to:
life rearranged

Friday, November 18, 2011

Personal Pursuits



Speaking of spending time with each of your children individually, my own mom spent this week visiting with her youngest child. (Yes, it’s me.) We did some shopping, watched my son’s basketball game, did some more shopping, went out for lunch at a new Mexican restaurant and watched my daughter’s tap class. We also attended a workshop at a garden centre, with hands-on instruction in the art of making winter urn inserts from fresh greenery.

My mom was reluctant at first—she hasn’t done the arts and crafts thing for quite a while. She (and I) recall a period when she was dedicated to perfecting her macramé skills. And, there were a number of other arts and crafts over the years. I also thought about the introduction to knitting class I took this past February and the scarf that I had abandoned at the halfway point. Inspired by our discussion, I have returned to knitting my scarf, just as the first winter snow arrived here overnight last night.


Sarah Ban Breathnach believes that each of us must carve out time for personal pursuits that bring contentment. “We’re afraid to hear the promptings of the woman who wants to learn how to draw, dance, raise orchids, re-upholster a chair, cook Szechuan. We might have to take a class or buy a book, a pad and pencils, a leotard, a plant, a fabric, or hoisin sauce. No time to be passionate, we have to be practical. Essential, uncompromised longings will have to wait until there’s more time: when the children are back in school, when Mom’s feeling better, when things let up at the office. How about an answer we haven’t heard before? How about, ‘My authentic passions will have to wait until I’m ready to admit that pursuing them is essential for my happiness?’”


In the end, as is often the case, my mom and I were both happy that we chose to attend the class and we enjoyed exploring our creative sides. We stumbled a bit at first, but, with help from the instructor, we were both pleased with our arrangements. And, even more important, we got to spend some valuable alone time together.
When I was taking this photo of my mom with her arrangement, she said, “Just don’t put it on your blog.” It's not the first time I’m not listening to her.

  
To be fair, I am including this photo of me with my urn arrangement.  I dislike being photographed as much as mom does.