Hiking to Pic Adam

Judith and I went hiking one morning for a few hours, and even though I came back with some nasty blisters from my too small boots, it was so worth it to get out there! It reminded me that I should try to do it more often, but I'll look for another pair of shoes for next time. The trail was fairly easy, a bit slippery, and lasted just the right amount of time (3.5 hrs) before we wanted to head back for lunch.

You may want to click on the picture below to enlarge it.

Yeah. Those spiders were big. 

And I had no choice but to run under their webs hoping they wouldn't jump onto the back of my neck.

photos on Easter Sunday

Another beautiful day....

an easter egg balloon garland...

last year's bunnies hopped out of storage...

I'm off to hide the eggs...

Walt found his bunny beer....

relaxing coloring time just before dinner...

Roasted garlic and rosemary leg of lamb, rosemary mashed potatoes, freshly steamed green beans, tomato salad, hot cross buns, brownies, wine, and good friends make this day complete!

PJ pants

I had a great time sewing these up, so easy, so fast, and so darn cute!

 love you so crazy much monkey!

the egg-dying process

I received a package recently that included an egg dying kit, and man, did that bring back memories! Last year I had tried to dye our eggs using food as the dye, but I only succeeded with the yellow ones. Plus, our eggs are brown, so the ingredient used has to be pretty potent. Luc and I had a blast today, so much so that he was asking for "more!"

Those leftover nutella jars came in handy....

Watch me eat this one Mom!

baby mobile

I made a mobile for a little guy who was born back on Valentine's Day, and only recently did I get around to finishing it and giving it to the new Mama. They had a lot of things going on (you know, not sleeping properly, changing diapers, etc), family visiting and such, so a dinner visit didn't happen until a couple weeks ago. Luc was so interested in it that I think now I'll go back and make one for him.

making time for art

Just as I like to spend a little bit of time each day doing something creative, I know it's equally if not more important for Luc to do the same. The word art however, is used very loosely, and though these pictures are of him coloring on paper, there are many, many other forms of art in our house. In the kitchen it can mean spreading flour over the counter. Outside, it can mean using his shovel, hands, and toes in the soft dirt. Occasionally, it can mean turning his water bottle upside-down and spreading the water over the tile floors. What's important is that he's exposed to and using everyday items and substances in his own way, and not restricted for cause of mess. There is sometimes gentle guidance, but for the most part he doesn't need it and is free to explore as he wishes. I like to let him see me doing things too, even if it's something as simple as menu planning for the next few days (as you'll see in the pictures below). 

Triceratops present at art time? Definitely necessary.

A nice sunny morning on the balcony spent drawing and menu planning. 

But never without coffee or the triceratops.

on cloud 9

I love taking pictures at sunset. From our location, you can't see the actual setting over the water (it's on the other side of the cliffs, and we're facing northward) but you can see fantastic reflections of color on the clouds when you look out from our balcony. You should see it in person! The ones below aren't during sunsets, but beautiful nonetheless.

fyi: this is the picture I used for the blog banner above