Yarrow days

I spent my teen years in a town about 1.5-2 hours (depending on traffic) from Vancouver called Yarrow.  It's a pretty little town with Vedder Mountain on one side and the Vedder river on the other.  My parents still live in the same house so this place holds lots of memories for me. Most of my summers as a teenager were spent at camp, babysitting, working at an apple farm picking apples, 'studying' for music theory exams by the river with my very good friend Kathleen, or tubing down the river with friends (and almost drowning a few times).
Last week my boys spent the week with my parents in Yarrow, going to a kids morning camp in town, taking  horseback riding lessons for the first time and going swimming.  They had a great time while I worked hard in the studio trying to finish up some orders.  My birthday was last week so I managed to have a low-key day at home while the kiln was cooling and then we had a little cake with family when we picked up the boys on Friday.  I'm slowly creeping towards 40 and must admit that I almost forget how old I am sometimes... is it 36 turning 37? or 37 turning 38? 
It's crazy to think that this is now the view from the backyard of my parent's place now.  That field used to be filled with hazelnut trees that fell ill to disease and were recently cut down.  Such a shame...here's a photo from this past spring where you can see how big the trees were.

summer porch suppers

 Made what I'm calling 'kaleslaw' with the abundance of kale that's growing in the garden.  It was a hit, so I'll probably be making it again.  

And I don't take that many photos these days... Dean likes to tease me about blogging every time I set the table nicely for friends to come over.  Phoey on him, I say. 

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I moved into the new studio this week and am starting to get settled! Feels like a luxury with 40 extra sq. feet AND a space for storage!!  And the light from the window has been glorious.  Lots of studio friends from upstairs just pop their head in the window now to say hello- been thinking I should have  get the boys to run a popsicle or lemonade stand out there.  Anyways, thank you to those who have patiently been waiting on orders- I should be settled in and glazing work by next week. 

Have a great weekend!

Bonding

We all got to meet my new nephew this past weekend and it was pretty special, especially, for Johnny.  Johnny is a month shy of 10 and most days he is like most typical 9-10 year olds; self-focused, always hungry, has heaps of energy, and annoyingly teases his younger brother until someone ends up crying. 

But get him to hold his new baby cousin, or to read a book to Oliver, who is 2, and I get a glimpse of a soft-hearted guy who is going to grow up to be amazing with kids someday.  I was really proud of him this weekend, for taking lots of time to snuggle and bond with Jacob, who is a month old now.  Feels like only yesterday I was flying to his birth.  Mind you, it doesn't feel that long ago that I held Johnny in my arms like this.  Crazy how fast time flies with kids around!

On a Sunday in October

About a week ago the boys and I went on a great walk/bike ride, enjoying the bit of sunshine against the fall trees.  This is the kind of weather that makes me love where I live.  Ask me in about 3 months time when it's been raining for 5 weeks straight and I might not be so keen, but for right now, it's just so beautiful. 
I've been neglecting this space for a while.  I'm not online or on the computer very often these days.  For starters, the busy season has me ramping up my efforts in the studio and I get home, with clay splattering over my cloths, the boys hungry for my attention, and few precious hours to spare.  I've been wanting to read before bed and put my mind on other things, not just work and that's been healthy for me.  Frankly, my life has been rather quiet lately: a lot of introspection after a great amount of work completed, long conversations with friends who need me to be a good listener, and time spent doing things as a family have all been more of a priority.  All that being said, I will be stopping by here a couple of times a week, sharing some new work, up-coming shows, along with the occasional ramble from my heart.  I do hope you'll hang in here with me...

Saying goodbye and hello

We celebrated my grandpa's life this past weekend and, as sad as it is to say goodbye, it was a meaningful time to think back on a life well-lived.  My grandpa has passed along many gifts my way- I still play his violin that he gave me years ago after he stopped playing.  Not only did I inherit some of his actual paintings, but his gift of making (pottery, painting, carving) is something that was passed along to me.  For people who truly lived off the land, raised 6 children, and were faithfully and happily married for 66 years, my grandparents have left a remarkable legacy.  My heart is with my grandma, who just moved into 'town' and into an apartment this week- so many changes for her all at once. 

Speaking of family, we also got to see my little nephew again.  It had been a couple of months since we had seen him and in the meantime he's been walking and talking.  It didn't take him long to warm up to my boys- his cousins.  By the end of 2 days he was running back and forth between them with arms wide open, smiling and laughing and saying 'hi'.  What joy!

Dean got home from a trip to Toronto and Montreal late yesterday, and I'm very relieved to no longer be solo parenting.  I usually have the boys on my own for at least an extended weekend a month, but in summer it's more like 2 full weeks.  Generally things are rough the first day Dean is gone and the last day before he gets home, but the middle time goes by fast, once we find our rhythm.
Of course, the boys are getting older, which means things are getting a bit easier.  They want to help out while grocery shopping, not run around the store like monkey's chasing each other, like they used to.  Perhaps the incentive of getting to keep the quarter in the cart after they help out is part of it, but hopefully also the fact that they are starting to grow up.  My 9 year old is clearly getting closer to the pre-teen stage then the school-age stage.  He wants to listen to 'dance music' in his room on the radio, he rolls his eyes if I have to talk to him about his behavior, all the while still playing lego and having light saber battles.  He's tall too- his head reaches my chin.  Yes, he's going to be as tall as me soon.  Yikes.

Summer Plans

Now that the heat has finally arrived, the nights are long and it's June (ack!), we have been sorting out our summer.  It's tricky, not only do I have Renegade in SF coming up, but I potentially have a large order to fill over the summer months while Dean runs 2 skateboarding road-trip style camps, one in BC and one in Ontario/Quebec.  And our kids are home for the 2 months, wanting to do all the fun stuff that summer should be about.  Thank goodness for grandparents, weekends, and day camps. 
Trust me, it won't be all work and no play though- we've been invited by 2 different neighbours to stay at their cabin or go camping as families.  The boys are so excited! There are usually plans to head up to Vernon and the Island in the mix to.  As usual I think the summer will go by much quicker then we expect and all of a sudden it will be back to school.  

Weekend projects

I did finally get to sewing a tote bag out of fabric that I had dyed this last summer.  I used an Ikea cushion cover that had a broken zipper on it for the lining.  It feels good to re-use something for another purpose or another life. 
This weekend the boys and I took a trip to the Family farm.  Johnny has a school project that he's working on about documenting a family treasure- he has to interview someone about the treasure, take photos and tell the story behind the treasure.  So out of a few possibilities he chose a friendship ring given to his Great-Grandmother as she left Russia to come to Canada in 1924.  We looked through old letters from family that stayed behind during Soviet Russia.  One of her brothers who was thought to have died in a work camp during Stalin's reign was re-united with our family about 12 years ago, only a few years after the death of his sister. 
I particularly liked the wallet that the ring was found in- such a great design.  Each of those corner flaps opened up to a pocket.
And check out the 'Rules for the baby' Great-grandma Dahl got when she had one of her son's in 1949.  'Most important of all.  Leave Baby alone.'  It really is a wonder babies survived with advice like that!

First signs

Oh, spring is really on it's way.  The days are getting a little longer and there are buds on the trees.  And a whole lot of green stems coming out of the ground.  I know that this might be misleading.  That snow or cold or hail can come up any moment, but it sure feels good to know that these signs mean good things to come.  Did you know that Spring arrives here on the West Coast first before anywhere else in Canada?  Yes, it's true.  Victoria on Vancouver Island is usually first and then slowly Spring spreads across the inlet to Vancouver. 
So I've got a busy week, but will try to pop in here and there.  It's a week of glazing and sending off wholesale orders so I might be a bit busy on the studio front- and of course, it's the last week before spring break, so that means report cards and parent/teacher conferences (ie early dismissals all week) for the boys.  Sheesh. And this year our spring break is 2 full weeks. 

Country Fun at the Hobby Farm

Dean grew up on a 5 acre plot of land about 1 hour from Vancouver in Langley.  We go and visit my in-laws hobby farm quite frequently, especially on long weekends.  In summer, the boys sometimes get to stay over for a couple of days, allowing me to get a little more work done. Garden gates leading into wild gardens, saskatoon berries, tire swings and a trampoline are just a few things that take us far away from our city life and make us feel like we've just taken a trip to the country.  See last year's pics from the farm here.

Reaching

 

We've had 6 people stay over for the night (on our living room hide-a-bed) in 2 weeks.  Today Dean left for a week of skateboarding in Mexico with a crew of guys.  So I'm just hanging in there this week with the boys and some recent orders that have me crunching time at the studio yet again.  I hope to have time to touch base and blog but I was feeling overwhelmed yesterday and today, I'm feeling a bit foggy after a 5 am drive to the airport.  Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

kitten love

We've been spending the last couple of days getting to know our new little kitten.  Still haven't agreed on a name but my boys are loving playing, watching and holding her. 
Name suggestions would be much appreciated:)