we are off

Hard to know where the time goes these days...
But we are off
To the lower mainland
For karate competiton,
family visit,
time away
and hopefully some spring weather.

May not be around these parts for a while...
Wishing you all well.

carnival is a coming...

It is skating carnival time once again.

The last while I have been very busy cutting, pinning, sewing and serging skirts

for 10 very excited girls.

Once Bugsy's skirt was done she decided to model it

and try her waltz jump in it

Seems she is all of a sudden looking a little bit older than before.

She wasn't this big last year was she?

The skirts were actually quite easy.

I modified a skating skirt pattern by eliminating the casing

and sewing the material straight onto black elastic.

Simple and easy!  And so glad they are all done!

you know you live in a northern community when...

Okay, okay!  I know this is a little bit similar to my last post.  However, I can't resist.  So, there is no stopping me.

As some of you know I live fairly fair north.  During the shortest days of winter our sun doesn't come up before 8:30 and goes to bed early, like before 4:30.  Gets pretty long, dark and cold up here!

So, being the industrous Canadians that we are, we find to ways to recreate to keep us busy, out of trouble and possibly to keep us from going "squirrely" when winter descends down upon us.

One thing that I enjoy doing, other than my knitting, quilting, sewing, reading, is attending our local dojo.  A place to train in martial arts and other things, like karate, kickbox, point-fighting and kickbo.  Keeps me busy and hopefully healthy.

Soon, I am suppose to be competing in both kata (karate forms) and point fighting.  One sensei (coach) has been giving my team mate and I a little more focused attention to get us ready for the event.  He has been running us through drills, combinations and giving lots of tips of what to expect when we get there.

He is very good at what he does.  Very focused and passionate.  I really respect him and appreciate his coaching.

But the other day I just couldn't help laughing and laughing when he suggested that part of our training should be stump jumping!  Stump jumping you say?  Yes, you heard correct! 

His thought was that we could put a stump in our backyard and practise jumping on and off of it.  After I made a fool of myself laughing, I had to admit it really makes sense because it helps us move better vertically, control movement and be quick.

I just can't get over the image of my neighbours looking out their back window, calling their husband over and whispering "Oh honey, I really think she might have lost it this time.  Such a shame, she was such a nice lady!"

Oh the North!  What a great place to live!

Excuse me now, while I go find me a stump.

you know you live in a small town

Okay some of you probably have never had the feeling.  Some of you live in big cities where you can live your life with a fair amount of anonymity.  You carry on your daily tasks and never run into anyone you know all day.

In a small town it is a little different than that.  Okay we have 5000 people, but you do tend to rub shoulders with the same people alot.

First of all people wave at you when you are driving.  Of course there are two camps "wavers" and you guessed it "non-wavers".  When we moved here 15 years ago I was a definite non-waver!  Who thought to notice anyone else on the one road that runs straight through town?  Anyways, I digress!

In a small town you see people you know or recognize all the time.  It is a part of life.  Most days it is kind of comforting.

However the other day, I realize how small SMALL is when an acquaintance stopped me in the grocery store to say that my daughter had called her on her cell phone.  Hmm?  I asked what she meant.  She relayed  back that my middle daughter had called and said that her sister was bugging her.  This acquaintance paused during the conversation and said "I don't think you got your Mommy!"  To which my daughter replied "That's not funny Mom!"  Remember her sister was bugging her.

So the conversation went on between my daughter and "Surrogate Phone Mommy".  Finally they got themselves straightened out when Phone Mommy told my daughter my name. 

So entirely bizarre.  I asked Phone Mommy how she knew it was my kids?  She said she put two and two together by their names.  I know we have been gymnastics moms together, seen each other at the beach and park....still bizarre!

It's a small town world after all!

loving her opa

At bed my daughter asked, "Mom why are Opa's eyebrows so long?" (Yes I know, a little random, but it happens around here)

To which I replied, "It's just the way he was made!"

"Well, I told him he should cut them!" she said

"What did he say?" I asked

"That he doesn't want to because he likes them." After a little pause she continued and said "But I think that's good because they can protect his eyes from the sun!"

So funny! Especially if you know my daughter and her Opa.

Gluten-Free Bread Recipe

I have been experimenting with various gluten-free recipes. Along the way I have had various successes and failures. Baking with gluten free products is akin to entering a new world, not only are you using "new" materials, they also have "new" results.

To ease the transition a bit I bought a few mixes to help figure out what products are suppose to be like before and after baking. Sometimes it feels like a huge effort to find ones that work and are cost effective.

Take store bought gluten-free bread at $9.45/loaf! Which is a little like cardboard and always needs to be toasted. Who wants to live life like that? So after a little expirementing I have had a happy success modifying Gluten Free Goddess's bread recipe. Instead of using the flour she listed, I used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Flour.

My daughter's were delighted! And truthfully so was I!

At last a sandwich that was like the real thing.