The Sweetie Witch

Here's a little drawing, for a contest on Susanna Leonard Hill's very excellent blog :)

IF - Red

Two for Illustration Friday this week, both with red cedars.  I admit it - I missed the West Coast this week!

We survived last night's storm just fine.  That was the first time I've ever felt the house move in the wind that much.  It was quite something!
I'm in the paper this week, because I actually wrote a letter, got a bunch of people to sign it, and presented it at a town hall meeting.
Jai had a one-day work week because he was working all weekend, and then we had stormageddon.
Griffin stayed in his pajamas all day.  Holly was a baby monkey who kept finding and eating invisible bananas.  Now you are up to date.

If - Spark (Number 2)

Hello!  So, I did get another reprise at Illustration Friday this week.  This started off as a little doodle while I was waiting for lunch to cook, and after lunch the kids and I dug out my good pastels and played around.  They did some nice colour fields, and I squeezed this in.

We're in the middle of Spring Break here, so all our usual programs are cancelled.  There's a small danger of us going stir crazy - we're in the middle of a freezing rain warning, and no one wants to go outside.  The danger comes mostly from me - the kids would be happy to watch Peppa Pig videos over and over and over. So far, we've managed to keep the fighting to a minimum - two more days to go!  When is Spring coming???????

Here's the sketch:

IF - Spark

Hello! Here's another Illustration Friday doodle.  I used Griffin's pencil crayons and my Neocolor Pastels.  I may try and re-do and refine this picture (charcoal and watercolour?), but I'm trying to at least make one thing a week, without worrying too much.  With the kids around, I don't always have time to set myself up the way I'd like, and I'm trying not to let that stop me from doing something, at least.

In other news, things are going well here.  We're SO ready for spring.  Not summer, just spring.  Positive temperatures.  The kids have March Break this week - even preschool is cancelled, so we're all here, all the time, this week.  Today we made Maple Bran Muffins with Maple Glaze (yum!) and a big roast dinner.  I'm not sure yet what tomorrow will bring.  Probably something yummy! Have a good one!

IF - Voice

Hello!  It's Illustration Friday time again!  One week I am going to try and fit in some more time to do this, but for now I'm just glad to get something done, if I can.  My course is going really well, but it's a LOT of work, and I don't have any photos of the kids to share right now - I've been too busy editing photoshoots.  Anyway, this is just a fun one.  These are a couple of the characters I've been playing with for a story I am working on.  I'm just loving having an excuse to actually sit and write stories.  SO much fun!

IF - Space

Fitting another Illustration Friday in!
Not much to report on the home front at the moment.  Everyone was sick, and is now on the mend.  I am LOVING my course, and looking forward to the day when I have a little more time.  Jai has been running every night, and can now get to the highschool and back without stopping.   Holly is starting to ask "why" a lot (isn't she too young for this phase?) and Griffin is (according to his teacher) the only kid at Kindergarten Kids (his pre-school group) that didn't get yelled at today.   They are growing fast!

IF - Prehistoric

Hello.  This is just a silly one, that I thought Griffin might like, but it's nice to get another Illustration Friday done!  It's been a while!

Life Circles

 Hello again.  We keep having big life events, and I don't really know how to talk about them here.  My Grandmother passed away two weeks ago, and while we knew it was coming since around Christmas, it has left me a little bit reeling, and less motivated to post.  Most of my posts were for her!  (And you, too, Grandpa!)
So, anyway, we keep on keepin' on.  I'm always a little less motivated to take and process photos at this time of year.  We've been inside a lot.  Lots of indoor picnics and tea parties (see pic), lots of baking and eating, lots of activities to get us out of the house, without being outside.  It's cold!  The kids have been enjoying the snow, though - I have a few videos I will put together sooner or later of them tobogganing down various hills :)
Before Christmas, I went on a wreath-weaving kick.  The red one below is from our dogwood tree, decorated with the wild rose that is growing up through it.

 And I made a bunch of crowns for the kids out of a friend's willow tree.  I think it might almost be time to make some more baskets.

First, however, I have an on-line course that I'm very excited about.  I'm taking  the Children's Book Academy Craft and Business of Writing Children's Picture Books e-course!
I'm pretty excited about this - it starts tomorrow, so I will try and keep you updated about how it goes (although I think I will be crazy busy for the next five weeks!)  I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, and it seemed like a good time.  Something I can do, in a small way, to honour my Grandma.
Hope you all are finding your way through Winter, too.

Fall 2013 Video

So here it is, our fall in video form.  I picked a nice long song this time, so fair warning!  I'm hoping you guys out in Victoria will be able to enjoy it, wherever you happen to be :)
Talk to you soon!

And then Summer Happened Catch-up

This is it, I'm finally doing it!  Well.... that was a long break.  We had a family emergency, and then a family recovery, and we're getting ourselves back together now, and I think I finally can sit and post again.
I believe I left off promising some photos of our visit to my father's farm in Duncan, so I'll start with those.

And then we had a summer!  I think I'll let this video catch you up on that:

I've got a bunch of video from the fall as well, so over the winter break, I am going to sit down and put that together, and then I will share it here.  

Here's a picture from Holly's second birthday party:

Oh my goodness.  And that's all I've got time for at the moment!  Back soon! (ish!)

Installment #2 - a Visit to GG and Graypa

Here we go: Installment #2 of our trip to Victoria.  This is the long one - bear with me!  It was kind of a surprise, this trip to Victoria.  My Mom's family was having a reunion to honour my Grandma, and I had a wedding-free weekend, and realized that I really, really felt like I should be going.  I asked Mom if she could help me cover the cost for a ticket for Holly and I, and then Grandma and Grandpa called to say they would buy a ticket for Griffin.  Both they and my Dad offered to buy a ticket for Jai, but he couldn't work it out, with work.  Anyway, the long and short of it is, the kids and I were able to spend a wonderful, wonderful week, hanging out with family.  It was better than I could have hoped. My Grandma and Grandpa, my Mom, my Aunt, my Uncle, and all my cousins, with me and my kids, all under one roof (although some of them had to sleep in tents in the backyard) - total bliss.  The kids were in heaven.  

I very much hope we can do it again, next year.  But in the meantime, here's some of my favourite pics:

Next up: Installment #3 - a trip to the farm.