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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Pierced ears and so excited.

According to Bridget "it didn't hurt at all" while Claire was brave faced for a split second until her lip began to quiver and the tears slowly fell from her eyes.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Beautiful flower girls in Aunt Carolyn's wedding...

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Down by the river (Thompson River, Kamloops, British Columbia)

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

What I'm Crocheting on Our Holidays

Our summer holidays are fast approaching, and while I am busy packing all the necessities for our week away, I have been thinking a lot about what I am going to crochet while we are traveling...obviously this is something very important to consider.

While I would rather not start another crochet project when I already have three on the go, I think it is unavoidable in this case. The small elephant that I am working on is about ready to be stuffed and sewn together, so I can't bring that because there are just too many small supplies to pack. There would be way too much yarn to bring along if I wanted to work on embellishments for my wreath. And my blanket is getting a little large to cart around.

So a new project it is.

When choosing a project to bring along on holidays I always try to find something that meets the following criteria:

• Simple - something I can work on in the midst of many distractions - at the airport, on the plane, pool side, lake side - I want something that I can work on while carrying on a conversation, something that I can easily pick up and put down.
• Limited Colors - I don't want to lug all kinds of yarn around
• Small - it needs to fit in my lap
• Fun - it is summer after all

And while this is not always the case, this time around I was determined to choose a project that I could make using yarn from my stash. Stash busting continues.

So, with all this in mind, I have decided to crochet stash baskets as we travel. They meet all my criteria with the added advantage that I will be able to use up the variegated yarn that I have had in my drawer for years (variegated yarn always seems like a good idea to buy, it always looks so pretty all wound up in a ball, but then I find it very difficult to find something to make with it).

I've packed my project - yarn, hook, pattern, tape measure - in a pretty pouch which I will slip into my purse so that it is readily available whenever a crocheting opportunity arises. My scissors, yarn needles, and a few extra balls of yarn will be packed in my checked bag.

I love having a crochet project with me when I travel. I love to pull it out and work on it in different places. I love that it is something that I can do during the down times, the wait times that are inevitable as you travel. I love that when I come home with a finished (or near-finished) project, I always remember that I worked on it while somewhere else. Crochet always make me happy and brings me joy (it has been on almost every one of my Now is Now lists), I can not imagine leaving home without it.

Local Produce Box: Week 8

There was so much produce in our box this week that I had trouble fitting it all in a photo...which is not such a terrible problem to have, especially since our grocery bill for the week was much lower.

In this week's box we received: cabbage, beets, red leaf lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, zucchini, onions, beans, carrots and raspberries.

With so much delicious produce on hand, it was quite simple to cook for the week. This is what I made:

(from left to right)

1. Tomato Parmesan Quiche - a simple and tasty dinner, delicious served with a salad (recipe courtesy of The Forest Feast).
2. Zucchini Pesto Tart - this is a favorite family (recipe from The Forest Feast cookbook).
3. Carrot Slaw - simple and delicious (recipe courtesy of The Forest Feast cookbook) and it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. I made it on the weekend and we will have it for lunch several days this week.  
4. Beans and Tomatoes - recipe courtesy of last year's box

With the cabbage, I made the same cabbage steaks as last week. This was one of those recipes that I was a little hesitant to try - it is a little unusual - but I am happy to say that everyone likes them.

I roasted the beets, the potatoes and the zucchini. And I chopped the onions and froze them for later; there have been so many onions over the last few weeks that I am not sure what else to do with them.

As we move into August I am excited to see what else is coming; I'm hoping for more fruit and no more onions....

Backyard Flowers

Yesterday morning I took a little walk through the garden and was thrilled to see so many flowers in bloom. The weather has been very severe of late - hot and dry - but these blooms have persevered and brought their beautiful colors to the garden. My backyard flowers make me very happy.

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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Early Sunday, running through the backyard in your flip flops, laughing and chasing butterflies...a perfect summer morning.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.