Snow day play

Baking supplies transformed into snow stencils

Wordy Wednesday : Winter

In the depth of winter,
I finally learned that within me
there lay an invincible summer. Albert Camus

Those tiny hands

Sometimes I wonder how I will survive 20 years from now. That these times I'm in right now might simply be the highlight of my life. Those tiny fingers, chubby cheeks, the little ones following me everywhere ( and I mean absolutely everywhere). How they want to be with me. What if this is it? How can I live with a quiet house and no tiny legs pitter pattering everywhere. The day will come when they leave... when they think someone else is their "BEST", then what.

Oh it hurts my heart to think of them all grown up, distant - perhaps in body and in heart.

So what do I do?

I leave the house's messes, the phone calls for appointments, the way overdue thank you cards and I nuzzle my nose in that soft little neck. I listen and delight in the tickling squeels and I savour, sovour, savour every moment....

Until tomorrow when the tantrums and 4 year old attitude drive me bonkers and I imagine the day they'll play by themselves for more than five minutes.

Celebrating Winter

I'm a beach bum, born and raised in Sunny South Africa. As a girl you could always find me in a pool or in an ocean, basking in the sun with bleach blond hair and freckles galore. I love love love the sun and water...and yet here I am. In peaceful Canada. A country with cold winters, a country with loooong winters, a country where everyone complains about the winters (including me).

So after another rant by me how I need to get out of here, how I need to go south, how I need to escape right now, my husband suggested I take a walk outside and try to find the beauty in winter. I huffed and puffed while I took 30min to put on all the gear, got outside in the pitch blackness (it was only 6pm) and I started walking....

And what I found was ...well... It was beautiful!

Slow falling snow flakes, tree branches illuminated with white snow sparkling in the moonlight , huge bright stars, full moon and the sound ... of nothing...simply quiet. Like a deep breath between the decay of fall and the hustle of spring.

So here is my vow. This winter I will look for the beauty in my current situation. And I would like to share that journey with you by sharing tons of art and craft projects inspired by winter. Every Friday will be "snow day" so pop on by, have a mug of hot coco with me and lets marvel at this season full of hidden treasures

It's a marshmallow world in the winter

Who knew that simple ingredients like corn syrup, sugar, salt and gelatin can be whipped up into these delicious homemade marshmallows in only 15 minutes.


What is baking in your kitchen this winter?

Weekend wishes

May your weekend be filled with happy "twists and shouts" with your kiddies and nice slow dancing with your hubby!

Dancing - a new technique

Sometimes when I've sketched an image I see so many possibilities for the colour scheme. But once painted I only have one final piece to show.

So I've been playing with our scanner and photocopier to make tons of little ballerinas. Then during craft time Semay and I dressed them up. Hers had fairy wings, mine looked like this...

Wordy Wednesday

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum

Ballerina craft

This was so much fun!


Semay started drawing faces without bodies so we decided we'll make this ballerina a tutu out of pipecleaners. .. (I sure love this girly)

A new year! A fresh new year...and I feel like dancing!

In our house there is a lot of dancing.

Little jigs, twists and shouts and even the occasional headbanging.

But mostly it is the softer kind, the kind done on tippy toes with long arms up in the air. With giant fluffly tutus (lovingly made by aunties) and sparkly shoes.

So I dedicate this week to dancing. And especially to ballerinas young and old.

Happy Fresh New Year!