Happy Groundhog Day!

Well, maybe not a groundhog, but who needs one of those when you have a guinea pig. I'm sure the same principles apply.  So this morning we sent Stuart out on a bit of an assignment.  At first he wasn't sure if he could fit it in between his full schedule of eating and sleeping but when we advised him that he could eat while working he was fully up to the task.

First a little salad break.

Ok, now to the real work.

 Hmm. I think Stuart saw his shadow. What do you think?

Job well done.  Now back to that salad.

Happy New Year!

I'm slowly returning from holiday mode.  My sister and her family left yesterday for the last of our holiday visits.  It was a good holiday with time just for the four of us, as well as hosting Christmas dinner for Alan's family, visiting with my family up at my parent's cottage and sharing some time with friends.  A little bit of everything and a little bit of every kind of food!

I'm just easing back into it though.  The girls aren't going back to school until next week so I'm going to hang out with them for the next few days.  I'm hoping to spend some time with my new camera as well. (So exciting!)  There's a lot for me to learn but I'm really enjoying it.

Here are some pictures I took near my parent's house in Muskoka.  It was so amazing to see snow as we had an unusual green Christmas this year. It was especially nice how the snow stayed on the branches making every turn of our walk look like a winter wonderland.

So this year I hope will be filled with joy, good health, family visits, hugs, laughs, excitement, friends, a couple of adventures thrown in for good measure and time to enjoy.  I hope to see and appreciate the little things.  Read more books. Go for more walks.  Take more pictures.

I can't wait to start working with my beads again and that's a great feeling.  So although our holidays included few moments to rest I have landed in the new year rejuvenated and ready to go.

In My Backyard

I do enjoy the birds in the garden and I love that we can enjoy them through all the seasons. It's especially nice to see them in the winter when the rest of the garden is just twigs and bare branches and snow.  This year, along with the sparrows and occasional visit by a cardinal or bluejay I've been enjoying juncos.  Maybe they've always been around and I haven't paid enough attention to realize what they were but I've never really noticed them before.  In fact, I'd never even heard of the name junco before even though they are quite common. These little ones often come in groups and share the seeds that have fallen to the ground.  I love them with their dark grey body and puffy white belly.  They are pretty camera shy though so any time I try to snap a picture they are long gone.  Today I had a bit of luck while some perched in our tree.

As I was watching these guys a friendly visitor came by and I couldn't help but wonder, could this be one of the Mourning Dove babies from the spring?  I hope so. I like to think they will always think of our backyard as home.

Is Spring Really In the Air?

Hey I know my last post, only 3 days ago, was about me enjoying winter but really I am 'normal' - I still do wish for spring! I'm just trying to live in the moment, you know, enjoy each day as it's presented. Well, I have noticed that, even as I sit here wrapped in my grey sweater and warm socks are covering my toes, my thoughts are turning to spring and warmer weather. Without even realizing, in my designs this week I've been choosing lighter and brighter beads. Pinks and purples that could easily be seen as Easter colours and blues that reflect the bright sky and ocean, no not the cold ocean of our Atlantic provinces but more like the Caribbean Sea as it wraps itself around the tropical islands.


These earrings are called "Fresh Breeze" and really aren't they refreshing - like a breath of fresh air. So pretty and delicate and I love the pale sky blue glass beads!



Ok, I know we still have a ways to go before we say goodbye to winter but did you know it's only 45 days until we turn the clocks forward and 58 days until the first day of spring! Now that's a refreshing thought!

Winter Wonderland

I know, we all like to complain about winter. It's too cold, it's snowy, the roads are icy. I do it myself and there are some days in winter when all I can think about is seeing the first signs of spring. Winter weather can make it difficult to get around and it can make us late in our busy lives and hurt our backs when we have to shovel it. Sometimes the short days and the long winter's can really get to you.

Sometimes though, it's simply beautiful. Yesterday was one of those days. It snowed all day, it had warmed up from the deep freeze of last week and we had no where in particular to be. A perfect combination to enjoy a winter day and evening. It was already dark out but my youngest was still outside making snow angels in the snow.

A little bit of heaven in a long winter.