[i] LoveLife

To do - ta da!

FRIDAY AT LAST. This was a good week, Universe. Thanks. I got a little better and a little worse at everything. I painted a bit. I played a lot. I got a nasty tooth repaired. I reconnected with some great women. I caught up on some good things. I met some new kids. I spent a lot of time working on being in the here and now and when I wasn't thinking about what-comes-next IT WAS TOTALLY WORKING FOR ME. All of this equals a good week. I can't believe May is coming to a close. Wow.

Today: We're going to make a productivity + play sandwich. That means we're going to put a juicy play-at-the-park between some dry-boring-errands. If all things unfold as they should around 7:35pm I will be opening a bottle of red wine and sipping indulgently. And online shopping. And thanking my lucky stars that tomorrow is Saturday and I am going to try to paint something.

There are only three days left to order your Awesome Dad print to have it in time for Father's Day.

GO!

Magical slippers.

Okay! What a great day yesterday was. Not only did we find the ducks, BUT THEY TRIED TO ATTACK US! Pilot was oblivious to the whole duck-gang situation, but Cadence (our awesome walking partner) and I were not. I nearly came to blows with a duck that thought Pilot's arm was better than KUB rye bread. Seriously. It was crazy and awesome at the same time. Thank you Cadence for such an awesome morning.

The SHOES. The above picture is not great, but 24 hours after their delivery and I am in love with my new sparkly TOMS. I thought they were awesome with short pants, but last night I booted around with long jeans and as I skipped up the dark porch after book club I FELT LIKE CINDERELLA. Except I had both shoes. And they were not made of glass. And I have no sisters. But, you catch my drift - MAGICAL. I love them. I will never take them off. They are VERY comfortable. And snazzy. And sparkly and awesome. To answer the questions from yesterday:

HOW DO THEY FIT? I would say they are BANG on the money. I am a 7.5 if I measure my foot with one of those silver spaceship ancient measuring-thingies. I ordered a 7.5 and they fit like a GLOVE. They do not fit pretty-good or a little-snug. They fit like a glove. I was shocked and delighted at the same time. I have regular to narrow feet so I'm not sure how that pans out for people with wider feet than me.

HOW LONG DID THEY TAKE TO ARRIVE? They took about 12 business days which is pretty par around here.

BOOK CLUB. Ha! I was not the only person who did not read the book (The Cellist of Sarajevo) so I did not have to go so far as faking a heart attack to get out of the questions. Instead we enjoyed delicious (and gluten-free) food and chatted about fun things. SO MUCH FUN. Thanks book club! I whole-heartedly support the amendment of our club from Book Club to Book Club WITHOUT Books. I learned you do not need to read any books at all to have a wonderful book club meeting.

Today: I have an 8am breakfast meeting/visit with Heidi over at Botanical PaperWorks and our friend Bonnie. I can't wait! Adult conversation FOR BREAKFAST! Then my girl tribe and I have a busy morning finding a terrific park to investigate. I have a date with my dentist in the afternoon for ANOTHER ROOT CANAL and that just might earn me a GO-TO-BED-EARLY. SWEEET.

Don't forget to order your Awesome Father's Day print ASAP to get it in time for Father's Day.

GO!

Don't phone it in.

Yikes. I have not yet recovered from yesterday. There was not enough coffee and too much craziness. Including a daring park rescue by yours truly. YES. Actually - it wasn't all that daring, but I saved a little girl and I felt good about that because if one of my chicks ever gets stuck on a perpetual motion spinning chair and starts crying - I hope someone lifts her to safety. Enough said.

I must have earned my SUPERHERO BADGE for that because I got incredible shoes in the mail. The sparkly TOMS (inspired by Elise). GRACIAS Universe!

Today: We're off on another duck hunt this morning. I WILL FIND FREAKIN' DUCKS TODAY OR WE ARE GOING TO EAT DUCKS FOR SUPPER. I'm going to book club tonight and not only have I NOT READ the book, I didn't even get around to buying it. I will compensate by making gluten-free brownies with a raspberry sauce and talking very loudly with a lot of chocolate in my teeth. That ought to earn me my book club red card.

All I can think about is painting.

GO!

Paint + discovery.

Finally. I got a chance to paint. It wasn't for very long, but it felt good to be me for a while and it was a small reminder that no matter how quickly my girl tribe will grow - they can only grow taller if I grow along side them... [Learn about this piece here.]

Today: We are off to explore our neigbourhood and tour the blossoms. We are going to wander around counting things and having fresh bread at the bakery. Actually, make that cinnamon buns. I am going to sip organic coffee. There are a few parks around here that I haven't yet introduced Pilot to so if the Universe is conspiring in our favour we are off to enjoy the sunshine of spring.

GO!

Tea for two.

Hi Monday. Nice weekend around here. We spent a lot of time just hanging out, playing at the park, chilling in the backyard. Breathing in spring. Pilot got a little pretend tea set so it was non-stop orange pekoe and crumpets for everyone. Crash, the sweetheart that he is, was a very accommodating tea party guest and had twice the personality of the very dull hippopotamus.

DADS + LOVE: I was completely moved by the how-awesome-is-my-dad comments. Amazing. I will not deny that got emotional while going through them... The collection is inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. Definitely worth a read and a moment. I couldn't pick just two winners. I struggled to keep it to three. I wanted to give every single person a print for their dad because with us or not with us anymore - dads are so important. I know my dad means the world to me...

If one of these comments is yours - email me. You get an AWESOME-DAD print. Thank you SO much for leaving such amazing pieces of yourself here. I love it. Even if it was for a giveaway.

Speaking of AWESOME-DAD prints. I got a ton of requests for TWO BABY ELEPHANTS so that is now an option. I also got a ton of requests for "more MANLY colours" so there are some new colours that might interest you as well (the SILVER is my favourite). (If you have already ordered a print and would like to make some changes - PLEASE EMAIL ME.) ORDER YOUR PRINT before June 1 if you want it in time for Father's Day.

Today: I just might get a chance to kick the creative bung I had yesterday in the wang. That's code for PAINT LIKE I MEAN IT. Which is code for sitting my butt down and pushing through my brain-junk to get to my happy place. Because I need to. I'm gonna guzzle coffee after I get back on my 30 Day SHRED which I have renamed 23 Day SHRED because I missed a few. Whooops. Tamara is going to tackle my girl tribe for a while and I am going to welcome Miss Monday with open arms because she's bringing me some ME-TIME and that's not a gift I take lightly. ;)

GO!

Weekends are good.

Yay weekend! Yay having Dan around. Yay taking photos before 7:30am. Yay MORNING SHOWER for me. Yay sunshine and garage sales. Yay spring.

Keep leaving comments on yesterday's post for the Father's Day giveaway. I love reading the comments and my heart completely warms knowing there are so many great dads out there. Let them know it.

You can order an AWESOME DAD print here. Tomorrow I will post some of my favourites - that will open up a world of possibilities for the broadness of the prints. I would say every dad would appreciate one of these... unless they are aliens.

GO!

When you are surrounded by awesome.

Hi Friday. This post has no rhyme or reason to it... just a bunch of random clicks I found on my camera this week that touched me in a profound way. So much so - that I wanted to share.

PEARS: We found a good deal on pears and bought WAY too many. One of the better traits I passed to Pilot was a love of pears. She loves them. She loves them so much that she ate 5 of them on Tuesday. I saw these pears lined up on the ledge and it tempted me to think that they were me and my girl tribe - all growed up and sitting together. It made me sad that they won't always be exactly how they are right now, but it made me SO EXCITED to see who they will become.
GIRL TRIBE + CANINE: Oh, I had grand dreams of getting me, Pilot + Penn in a photo together at least once a month... which seems like a pretty dream in my head, but every time I remembered to take a stab at it - we all just had rotating meltdowns. This time - I had a new strategy: I set up the camera and gave Pilot the remote. She didn't know what she was up to and I didn't have any expectations of what would happen. We just hung out - AS WE DO every single day and she unknowingly snapped random shots. I love this one. Especially Crash being up there on the window bench with us.
HER OWN PERSONAL STYLIST: One of the very best parts of marrying Dan was adopting Awesome Tamara for a sister-in-law. Not only does she do amazing hair - she is an amazingly amazing person. She does more for the girls than anyone else in our families (except maybe Kam) and she's probably one of the top-5-thoughtful people I have ever met IN MY LIFE. She popped in to give Pilot's hair a trim up and although most of the time she spends here I totally shit the bed and forget to take pictures - THIS TIME I GOT IT. I love this moment between them. I love that Pilot is taking her in and I love that she's just so awesome. Need a stylist? Tamara at Ultimate Design Hair Studio (832-0009). AMAZING.
CUTE HAIR: What I love about how Tamara cuts her hair is the fact that she uses some kind of magic so that it looks natural and not the straight-across-blunt look.
SHE + HIM: I was going to delete this photo, but upon closer inspection I fell in love with a whole bunch of things; Dan crunching himself into those tiny chairs, the chaos and mess that just is-what-it-is around here, Dan drawing rainbows and ladybugs, AND that the two of them have skulls on their shirts and I didn't do that on purpose. In fact, I didn't even realize it until now. CUTE. This shot is a keeper. I love these two...

YOU ARE AN AWESOME DAD prints. I am so glad to report that there are more awesome Dad's out there than I thought. It's the perfect Father's Day gift so get on it because the queue is already long. HEY. I just remembered that it's Friday. That's a nice day for a giveaway. Tell me how awesome your dad is. Leave me a comment (or send an email) and I'll choose two winners and post them tomorrow.

Today: I am going to the dentist. Ummmm, I would ALMOST rather shoot myself in the face, but I am a little bit excited about having an hour or so to just lay on my back and stare at the ceiling. Still not feeling great, but the weekend always seems to improve things. More coffee. More coffee. MORE. COFFEE.

GO!

You are an awesome DAD.

I have been having an inner battle with a print for DADs... I think dads are incredible people and I think they are incredibly important. Especially now that I can see the effect they have on their daughters - right from the very first moment. Growing up I wouldn't say that I favoured my dad - but, I definitely cherished my time with him and in the 8th grade I confidently decided that if my parents relationship was ever to go south - I would want to live with my Dad (it never went south, by the way) because he would need me. He didn't even know how to make Kraft Dinner! But, I digress... I decided to go with the elephant bull + calf illustration because when I think of a Dad - I think of a protector. I think of size and strength. I completely realize that cats have dads and ladybugs have dads - but the elephant seemed to fit the best in my mind. Elephants are solid. I thought about a penguin because those penguin-dads are pretty kick-ass looking after the baby egg while the mom is off at the slip-and-slide - but, at the end of the day my image of a dad was more inline with a strong, peaceful elephant. So that's where it stands. 

I was also humming and hawing about a print with a poem like the Mom Tree Prints - but, Dan thought that Dad's might prefer something simple with less emotional gush. I tended to agree... not that I don't have a lot of Dad-related-emotional-gush to offer. I do. But, I have a non-emotional gush kind of Dad and so do Pilot + Penn. SO - the Dad print is strong and simple - like I imagine a wonderful dad to be. I do, by the way, HAVE A WONDERFUL DAD and this is what I imagine he might be okay with putting up in his office - not too much flash and drama. Not too many words or flourishes. Just a nice print for an awesome Dad. In my opinion - it says it all without saying too much. The perfect gift.
If you are at all interested - you can find out more and order them here. If you want one in time for Father's Day get your orders in before June 1, 2009 and sooner than later to stay at the top of the qeue.

Today: I'm not feeling good so I am not sure. Man, I'm not often feeling under the weather...  Maybe I just need more coffee.

GO!

A+

Wednesday! Cheers. We were too busy farting around yesterday to get anything done. And by farting around I mean designing wedding invitations, finishing up a photoshoot*, working on posters**, powerwalking with a friend, feeding ducks, getting groceries, having naps AND GETTING IN A GOOD SHRED. Not too shabby for a Tuesday of a shortened week. We also got in our daily photos (as pictured above). Yes, I'm still doing it. My PhotoBooth folder is about to explode! I thought for a while that I'd try to get all three of us everyday... but, that's too much. I decided to hang with each girl separately because they are individuals and I will always want them to know that no matter how much fun we have as a girl tribe unit - I think they are pretty swell people on their own, too.

*Jail time. I did a photoshoot on the weekend that nearly ended me up IN PRISON for trespassing. ARRESTED! YIKES. That'll get your heart pumping.

**There is a special Father's Day print coming out tomorrow.

Today: I hope to have another awesome day like yesterday. It was great. We've found a rhythm! A harmony, IF YOU WILL - and it makes all the difference. Pilot is getting a haircut this morning and we are having good friends over for dinner tonight. Throw in a nice glass of red wine and I will call it a day. An awesome day. More sketches to come very soon.

GO!

Photo-infusion.

Hi Tuesday. Wow. Awesome long weekend. Everyone was in good spirits around here. Pilot was playing with her new playhouse. Penn was playing party-all-night-long and Dan was playing with his new pressure washer. Me - I was playing catch up with work and photos. (This post is photo HEAVY.) I have been pretty darn good (if I do say so myself) about keeping up with archiving and organizing my photos of the girls, but the last couple of weeks got away from me. I stole some time on the weekend to get back on track and it feels deliriously good. Incredible, in fact. I also found a whole bunch of stray shots that were unfinished stories - until today.
Like what ever happened with my quest for a goldfish? Well, I totally forgot that when I left home my mom promptly replaced me with a school of fish. She keeps them in her pond during the summer and in her storage room in the winter - IN AN INDOOR POND. When me and my girl tribe were visiting BabaLuba at Easter she was nice enough to catch the smallest and weakest one of those fishies and put him in a vase until we got sick of looking at him. Perfect! (The last goldfish photo was taken by BabaLuba.)
I stumbled on a photo of my brother Kam bonding with Penn. Oh, I really like this one. She has no idea just how much she's gonna like this guy. ;)
I found some sisterly love moments. Pilot's been into caressing Penn's head lately. Could be because it's large. Could be because it's fuzzy. I'm alright with it because 93% of those caresses are in the gentle range. We're working on the other 7%.
I found a cute shot of Penn being Penn. I think I am starting to get used to her now. At first (it was like this with Pilot, too) I was still getting to know her features and gestures. She looked new. She's looking more and more like she belongs perfectly around here now. I love her dark eyes.
I love these pictures of Pilot. We draw together for about a half hour everyday and she is only happy if she gets to use the pencil that I am using. And when I get myself another pencil - she wants THAT one. And so on and so forth. I particularly liked this shot because she looks like she is talking ART in some kind of arty-way (she SHOULD be because she is drawing on a nice cold press watercolour paper!).
This last shot - that's pure Pilot. You can't hear her and that's to your benefit. She's loud. She talks all day long. She sings. She laughs. She yells. She's vocal and she's heard and she's SO DARN SILLY these days that it's tremendously good for the soul. She keeps me laughing. Well. Let's say she makes me laugh when she is not making me frustrated. I'd say 80% laughs. What a fun age this is! I love it.

AND, I love that this is a short week. We're gonna try our best to keep up.

Today: OUT + ABOUT. We're hitting the parks, the grocery store and the COFFEE SHOP so that we can settle into some great afternoon naps. ME INCLUDED TODAY. I'm poooooooooped. That's a good thing.

GO!