Darn It, Janet

Image from Craftzine

I've wanted to try my hand with darning: socks, sweater elbows, jean knees, etc... and have finally found a tutorial I'm interested in trying. See this Craftzine Blog here for the full tutorial.

I plan on reinforcing some threadbare elbows on a black sweater I retired last year. Perhaps bright orange embroidery thread? Maybe hot pink? We'll see, won't we?

Stockings

Stockings, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.

Merry Ho Ho everyone!

MeiMei

DSC_0096, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.

My Sistah.

First Lake, Hollyburn Ridge, Cypress Mountain, BC, Canada

Never Again Is What You Swore

I realised this week that my camera is dusty. I intend to rectify that this weekend as I've been a bit restless lately and need some creative release.

Let's see what the future holds.

We missed you

I have been keeping SO busy working on Christmas presents and general crafty stuff & stuff. I can spend hours sleuthing for inspiration and free patterns online. I have found so many I don't know if I'll ever get to them all!

I've discovered a website designed to help keep your crochet & knitting projects organised:
Ravelry

I'm loving it! I definitely have NOT discovered the breadth of its usefulness but I've at least listed my current projects (selecting my patterns, wools, needles, etc... from Ravelry's huge database) If you sign up for a free account you can find me there under the name ApplesNHoney.

To make sure I don't need to try to remember all of the neato blogs and websites I've stumbled across lately I'm adding another box to the right side of my blog to list them all.

Maybe soon I can get myself organised to post some of my current projects!

Spooky

My new kitty! I named her Spooky.

ETA: I've actually given her a full name now:

Spooky Alexandria Lexi Von Skellington,
Second Cat of the House Narnia,
Duchess of All Hallows Eve

What I Would Do For You...

DSC_0149, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.

My little Salem is sick; she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last week. To combat this at the moment we (read: I) are feeding her 1/4 of a tiny pressed-tab of Tapazole twice a day hidden in a teaspoon of yogurt which is, fortunately, her favourite treat anyways. I am so so so thankful she hasn't noticed the pills yet as I'm told they have a horrible taste. I have to bring her back to the vet on November 7th to make sure that the dose is correct (cha-ching vets, yep that's another blood test you get to charge me for) and to check if she is a candidate for the (cross your fingers she's in the 95 percentile) permanent treatment that is available in 3 hospitals in Canada (I'm so glad I live in Vancouver). If she's a candidate she will be taken to the North West Nuclear Medicine for Animals Hospital and be given a radioactive iodine treatment . After that the government says I have to leave her at the hospital for a week so I don't ALSO become radioactive, then after she comes home I have to limit contact for two weeks during which time no kids or old people can come over.
This treatment will cost me $1500 base price (the pills are $40/month for the rest of her life and that means I really can't take a vacation without incurring huge cat-sitter fees or boarding costs). I can't not do it though. I love her more than anything else on this planet. So if Christmas doesn't make it to your door this year being carried by me I apologise ahead of time.

On top of all of this she is Potassium deficient so I've had to change her diet to include a breakfast of wet food to hide the potassium gluconate powder in. Fun times in our household.

On an upbeat note we're acquiring a new kitten for Salem to play with on Wednesday but I don't want to jinx myself by talking about it too much. So until then, adieu.

xoxox

Absolute Stillness

DSC_0127, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.

Those in Glass Houses

I did this a while back and photographed the steps as I went along intending to one day create my first tutorial. So here we go!

For mine you'll need a fish tank (squeaky clean please), 1 bag of pearlite or fish tank gravel, 1 bag of horticultural charcoal, 1 bag of dried sphagnum moss, 1 bag of indoor potting soil, 1 bag of orchid growing medium (like bark mulch), sticks or small branches, air plants, bromeliads, and a small orchid. A misting bottle, a bowl and a couple of buckets, a strainer, and a pair of rubber gloves are handy also.



First place a 1cm layer of pearlite or aquarium gravel in an even layer on the bottom of the tank and then an even layer of charcoal on top just thick enough to cover the first layer. This is for drainage and the charcoal will filter the water and keep it clean. A good layer of sphagnum gets spread on top of this but first we have to soak it and strain it until it's the consistency of a damp sponge...





Spread a layer between 1-2cm. Take care to make sure you cannot see the charcoal underneath as this layer stops soil from seeping through to the gravel layer and will help keep your layers clean and pretty.



Next spread a 1cm layer of soil. This will provide nutrients for any of the plants that need them and will help to maintain an even moisture level. I've placed some plants inside the terrarium while I wait for the next step. The glass fogs up as the plants breathe.



Place enough of the orchid potting medium as will give you a 3-5cm layer in your terrarium. Cover with water and let it soak for the longest amount of time in the directions on the package (I let mine sit for 48 hours). Then drain the medium carefully (wear gloves as you can get tiny slivers) before adding it to your terrarium.



Next place your bromeliads directly into the orchid medium about 2cm deep along with the orchid. The air plants can be arranged balancing on the branches. Decorate in any other way you like (I placed clear glass Christmas tree ornaments in there).



Don't forget to mist the plants everyday or so. I started off with a plexiglass cover on this terrarium but it turned out it was a bit too much heat and humidity as the orchid medium grew a tiny bit of mould after 1 day. I removed the cover and picked out the few pieces of mouldy bark mulch and it was, and still is, fine now (this is 5 months later). Make sure it gets lots of indirect/filtered light.

Have fun!

jealous

jealous, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.

The other half and I took our bikes to a local park and I couldn't resist the wildflowers in the grass. I would have spent all day there but was reminded that there was more to see... I will return with a picnic soon!

edit: why doesn't the picture centre itself? Why am I confused looking at html? I need to learn this better so I can properly edit my posts!!!

My Weekend in Numbers

11 herb seeds planted: 2 Fragrant Dill and 3 each of Italian large leaf Basil, Marjoram & Summer Savoury to go with my 1 chive plant.

2 newly purchased African Violets tenderly transplanted into pretty glazed pots.
6 house plants re-potted.
10 house plants dusted and watered.

10 fingernails full of soil (priceless).

1 layer of swept-up pine needles, old potting soil, and plant trimmings spread out on the compost.

1 bag of mushroom manure purchased for $6 at Burnaby Central High School to support charity.

1 deck prepared for "Power-wash Tuesday" (can't wait to set up the patio furniture next weekend!).

1 laundry line washed.
4 loads of laundry washed and dried on the line.

1 bundled up stack of cardboard boxes tied with twine, 1 full bag of newspapers, 2 bins of bottles, jars, tin cans, and containers put out for recycling.

6 new blogs I now follow added to the growing list of inspiration (omg Martha has a new crafting blog!).

2 trips to the grocery store to buy fruits and veggies and pasta with 3 cloth market bags.

1 housewarming party with 30 people in a 400 square foot apartment.

2 bookshelves dusted, the rest can wait for next weekend.

1 cat shooed out of our house 3 times because he doesn't get along with my cat.

2 pizzas made from scratch. 3 people standing in the kitchen eating and conversing.

1/2 a movie watched.

0 hours of time spent playing video games and watching TV.

London Calling

Work sent me to the UK again for a week in February. I was full of nervous excitement as I had no idea (and actually, I don't think I ever discovered this...) what the purpose of this visit was for me. In the end I made my own "purpose" set a theme and a feeling for this trip and endeavored to make it a personal growth experience.



Pearson Airport was welcoming, if a bit cold and empty, and we passed the time waiting for our connecting flight at a little bar watching the Canucks/Leafs game that was playing in Toronto that night. I noticed (not sure how anyone would miss this monstrous sculpture) this and had to photograph it. I wanted desperately to see what was on the other side but couldn't. I wanted to travel through the passage but couldn't bring myself to. I didn't really want to know what was in store for me yet.



We landed in London after a long flight in an older plane without personal video screens. I had to make do with a "single serving friend" to keep me occupied during the 6 hours I spend without a working reading lamp.
The 4 of us headed into London proper to our hotel near a football stadium. We watched the Fulham vs West Brom match while a) trying not to fall asleep b) trying not to be afflicted with hypothermia.



I snuck this photo after swearing up and down to security that "yes, I understand I'm not allowed to use an SLR camera on stadium grounds, I choose to keep it with me but not remove it from its case. yes, you've thoroughly explained to me that if I'm caught using it on stadium grounds I will be immediately escorted out".



We met up the next morning with Rob and off we were whisked Southerly to Poole (this is the Centre of our Universe if you didn't know).



I visited the High Street Lush and B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful shops a few times over the 4 days we were there.



These looked delightfully scrumptious for some reason...



My perspective was challenged quite a few times over the week and I am thankful for that and take a chance to reflect on that experience whenever I can to remind myself.




I had a chance to spend a lot of time with Esther. This was really good for me and I suspect the same for her as well!



Some experimentation happened that I won't talk about but... it did involve a lot of chocolate... various oils... and 4 guys...



The number 23 visited us unexpectedly while bowling so we had to give props and acknowledge it. Much more beer and debauchery happened that night, luckily there is no photo evidence!



On the train from Poole back up to London I spotted these darling gents chatting on a bench and couldn't resist snapping them up.



This is my favourite train station I've ever been to. Every time I ride through it I must take its photo.



Aella and I met up outside of the 'Parthenon' in Covent Garden. Street performers frequent this spot making the balcony across the plaza at Punch and Judy's the place to be.



So glad we could spend the evening together drinking cider and eating Italian food in London of all places. xoxoxoxox



You'll have to excuse me, I'm not at my best
I've been gone for a week, I've been drunk since I left
These so-called vacations will soon be my death
I'm so sick from the drink, I need home for a rest.

Inspired and Deflated

I've found a new crop of amazing blogs to follow lately that are both inspiring me and discouraging me all at the same time. My creative juices are flowing faster than my pocket book can keep up but I'm intimidated about posting as I'm not as good as they are and am not at all sure what to write about that would even BE good enough. If I had the time to do all that I wanted to do my blog would look and feel similar to this one that I've just started following and can't take my eyes off of: Attic24

I'm Horrible

I wanted to post a video clip from Superstar when she yells at her Grandmother "You're Horrible" over and over but embedding is turned off so you'll just have to click on the Title of this post for that one. The video I am posting is funny too and is in honour of ANTM starting it's new season March 4th *cheers*!

Basically, I'm horrible for not updating my blog in a while.

20 Random Things

1. My brother and I have never fought once. Sure, I've yelled at him once or twice but I was a very unstable, hormonal teenager and had a tendency to fly off the hook. We're still really close.

2. My family background is the essence of what it means to be a non-Native Canadian. My mother's side of the family is Catholic (practically non-practicing), she's a full half Danish on her father's side and 1/4 English & 1/4 Scottish (my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother was the Dutchess of Argyle but she was a commoner before she married the Duke and her family history has been "lost" so we can't trace back further from there). That side of the family was mostly sea-faring people (ship builders and sailors. One Great Uncle helped build the St. Roch which was the first ship to sail all the way around the Northern coast of North America and is on display at the Maritime Museum in Vancouver). My father's side of the family is Jewish; mostly Polish but no matter how much my Dad denies it we have German blood too and if I ever hired someone to do my family tree I know there's Israeli waaaay back as well.

3. My Jewish grandparents were both Holocaust survivors. My Boba's story is quite similar to the movie "The Pianist" as she started the war in a Ghetto in Warsaw, Poland and then was moved between 3 different camps including "Camp B" from Schindler's List (I have a copy of the book signed by the author). She was liberated on her 26th Birthday by the Allied Forces and would always tell people she was "born twice" so her birthday was extra special. My Zeda escaped from his camp and ambushed German Nazi soldiers in the woods with other escapee Jews. I wish I'd been able to ask him about his experiences but he died of a heart attack when I was 3 and my brother never got to meet him. My Zeda was interviewed about his Holocaust story days before he died and I still need to get that tape transferred to DVD as I've not seen it. My Boba was interviewed by Steven Spielberg's people as research for Schindler's List, we have the tape but, again, I still haven't watched it.

4. I was born in North Vancouver at Lion's Gate Hospital (as was my Mom and Brother) and have lived in Richmond, Vancouver and Burnaby. I don't know many "Born and Raised" British Columbians as we seem to move away to other places.

5. I'm happiest when it's raining. I love to sit under a skylight or in a tent or near a roof and listen to the surface get pelted with a downpour. I love the smell of rain on hot asphault. I love how a forest will rain for 2 hours after the rain stops.

6. I'm a bit of a hippy at heart.

7. I used to teach rock climbing until I ruined my wrist cashiering for a year. I could ring through an average of 48 items per minute because I memorized bar codes on heavy items like bags of rice and flats of pop. I know this because Superstore times their cashiers and gives them hell if they're slow. I was one of the top 3 in the store.

8. I love my job. This is the first job I've ever felt happy at.

9. I am very sarcastic. It seems to be a family trait of the men in my family that I picked up. It tends to get me in trouble sometimes but I mean well.

10. I am a fast learner when I want to learn. If I don't want to I can't be bothered.

11. I got the highest mark in my school on the English Provincial. My name wasn't even on the list in the Faculty betting pool and I really shook things up when I got the grade I did. I still got a "B" overall because I never liked doing homework.

12. I rarely crave things like sweets or chocolate. If I do eat chocolate I prefer it to have a cocoa content of a minimum 70%.

13. I have sewn, crocheted and knit since I was a kid and still do. I love working with my hands.

14. I play the piano, B-flat and Alto Clarinet, Alto Tenor and Baritone Sax, & the flute. But I only own a handmade folk guitar and can't play it at all. I must still have my Uncle's vintage alto sax somewhere and don't remember selling my clarinet... They gotta be around somewhere...

15. I haven't seen my natural hair colour since 1993.

16. I am a huge fag hag (I call myself a Fruit Fly) but I was homophobic until I started College. I'd say that 90% of my friends are not straight in the traditional sense of the word. I love gay men so much that I'm engaged to a bi-boy.

17. I took advanced classes for grades 8-10. In grade 11 and 12 the program didn't exist in my school and the mainstream school system nearly left me behind because I wasn't used to not being able to challenge my teachers and question the info in text books... My grade 11 English teacher ended up putting a pile of books on my desk one day after she came to terms with the fact that I'd already completed her curriculum and had me create my own lesson plan for the remainder of the year.

18. I collect carniverous plants.

19. I need to stand on every continent (including Antarctica) and put a toe in every Sea and Ocean before I die. I still need to go to Africa, Australasia and Antarctica. I haven't listed out the bodies of water yet because I'm too lazy.

20. I am a gamer. Anything from pen and paper to RPG's to puzzle games to MMORPG's.

Jesus Christ, Superhero?

Academia of Another Colour

Personality Quiz Going Green - What Is Your Green Personality Quiz - thedailygreen.com

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Just out of reach

Independant Thought

Quote from Jill as a comment on a Previous Blog of mine :
"Good for you Lisa. That's a great idea. You should add generating your own electricity and making paper to the list. Seriously. Get off the grid. Michael and I are planning on moving into his rental property in a year and making it completely green. We're talking about recycling the grey water, turning the back yard into various gardens- fruit, root, herb, salad, flower, get solar panels, rental suite or B&B in the bsmt, etc.."
This got me thinking even more about a mini-project I'm working on:
"I'm doing a project on "skills" we've lost in the last century. For example: keeping a root cellar, darning socks, knitting our own dishcloths, hanging clothes out to dry, growing our own food, etc... With the way the economy is going we have to start relying on ourselves and our community more than just turning to consumerism and wastefulness.
If you don't like veggies you can go suck an egg :P"

To further this thought I began writing yet another response to that blog and decided I should just blog it. Weird thought, eh?

I actually asked Ed Begley Jr about the whole alternative power thing in Vancouver last year at the EPIC Trade Show and he suggested getting both solar panels and a vertical wind turbine . I was thinking it would be really interesting to look at converting a wind turbine to work on rainfall. It would have a funnel type contraption on the top of it that would collect water and direct it at the "fan" blades of the turbine to turn them on rainy days, then the water from that would go through a grey water filtration unit or into a rain barrel for watering your garden or whatnot.
I'm jealous really Jill, let me know how your plan progresses because it interests me greatly. For now I'm going to focus on how to manage some independence while renting: Chris wants to build me two 1.5'x6'x1.5' planter boxes for our back deck so I can put in some food plant beds. I'm definitely going to be doing some paper projects in the near future (cards mostly) with leftover handmade paper scraps from the gift room (Butterfly paper is too big when it comes in so they cut it down) and I want to look into getting an angora rabbit and a spinning wheel one day (probably when I have my own property) as they shed tremendous amounts of super soft wool ideal for spinning and are extremely affectionate.
Possibilities are endless and I'd like to explore as many as I can right now.

DSC_0288

DSC_0288, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.

Get Back To Your Roots

Since we went shopping in Richmond at all of the farms at the end of August last year I've been storing root veggies in my pantry. After four months, of what's left, 2 squash are still looking great, the organic garlic bulbs are still firm and I've gone through everything else we got. It's brilliant! I'm quite happy that I've beat the need to keep squash in the fridge. I'm sure it helps that the pantry is located near a wall with little insulation. I'm going to maintain this project through the Summer keeping potatoes, garlic, ginger, summer squash, beets, zucchini, etc in there and see how it goes with the sun beating down on that side of the house.

Reflections

Peekaboo, originally uploaded by applesnhoney.