Willow of the Wood

Stay in your jammies til noon

2012-01-21T11:02:00.002-05:00

signed, the willow

iDoodle

2012-01-20T19:35:00.001-05:00

signed, the willow

Doodle for the Day

2012-01-19T19:21:00.000-05:00

Things I see in my living room.

signed, the willow

The Painted Ladies of Grimsby

2012-01-18T20:26:00.000-05:00

How cute is this circle of houses on the beach of Grimsby?

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source: flickriver

source: flickriver

Pretty. Don't you just want to go? Or would you rather have a taste of their gingerbread details?

signed, the willow

A page today

2012-01-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

I've started to doodle. While I try to fill a page on a theme a day, life happens. So, instead I hammer out 7 on Saturday! Here's a preview of some of doodling.

signed, the willow

Bad Day?

2012-01-09T20:11:00.003-05:00

Then look at this

Source: stephenwildish.co.uk via Rowena on Pinterest

And your bad day is over. Voila!

signed, the willow

The next dog will have a tail that hangs down

2012-01-08T19:05:00.003-05:00

So, I'm about to tell you a rather embarrassing story.

Let's begin with a diagram:

The dog was hanging around mooching chips from *Mila* with her big puffy tail in front of me. I had to get up to squeeze some more food down my gullet, so I attempted to move the dog towards the potato chips and out of my way.

This is where you can run and grab some anti-bacterial gel. As I leaned forward on the laptop and reached around with my right hand, my index finger was inserted directly in Suma's chocolate starfish. Her rusty bullet hole. The dog's brown eye. Rusty's rusty sherriff badge. The on-ramp for the Hershey hi-way.

Get the picture?

And where was *Steve*? Laughing of course. Is he the only one in the family that hasn't stuck his finger up the dog's butt?

signed, the willow

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T13:30:00.004-05:00

What the?

Happy new year.

signed, the willow

Christmas Eve with the Chickadees

2011-12-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

And after....

signed, the willow

The Holidays 1

2011-12-27T17:38:00.000-05:00

How were the holidays?

We took some time to make a gingerbread house. Since "some" time equates to very little time, we bought a kit. See above.

This is how ours turned out. Not sure that the icing is real icing as the instructions read "knead the frosting until it is the consistency of toothpaste."

It was an afternoon of giggles as we gave the gingerbread man and his snowman that lived in this humble abode some bulging eyes!

signed, the willow

We put the tree up

2011-12-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, we copped out of the sea creature theme this year. And I'm starting to wonder what everyone puts on their tree to "tie it all together". In the 70s we used garlands. In the 80s, we pulled out the ribbons. In the 90s, feather boas got tossed on our trees. Somewhere the beads came out again.

We're a full dozen Christmas trees into the 21st century and I still have ribbons on my tree. Help!

Here's what the internet consensus says.

Reclaimed wood:

Source: flickr.com via Molly on Pinterest

Au naturel:

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Brancoprata on Pinterest

post its:

Source: decorology.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

What about this?

source: Etsy * The Doll City Rocker

Outdoorsy:

source: Design Sponge

Love this one!

Source: twoheartstogether.com via Bethany on Pinterest

tulle and burlap?

Source: doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com

So, I'm thinking of starting this now for next year. Maybe I'll do my baking now for 2012 as well. Yack.

signed, the willow

Art and the Written Word

2011-12-05T20:39:00.001-05:00

I've always been a fan of text and art together. To me, it's how art makes sense. Art Journaling.

Source: sarahearn.blogspot.com via Darrell N Karen on Pinterest

Source: andreajoseph24.blogspot.com via Muriel on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Rowena on Pinterest

Source: artistjournals.tumblr.com via Rowena on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Rowena on Pinterest

signed, the willow

2011-12-05T20:23:00.001-05:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Bloglovin

2011-12-03T11:05:00.001-05:00

Every week there's a new curious tool to use on the internet. Pinterest, Klout, and Bloglovin. I would love to meet the genius people who create these wondrous and necessary tools on the internet. Remember the days where the internet bored you to death and you felt as though you'd seen it all? Yeah! Those days are over. Now we need ways to navigate our ways through the piles of bookmarks and links we've collected. A tool to refine the blogs. A tool to tell us what's new and what we've already read (even though we've probably already forgot).

Here's how pretty Bloglovin looks:

Here's how pretty, I don't look:

signed, the willow

Spinning

2011-12-03T10:01:00.001-05:00

My blog came to a pause when I came down, spinning down, with vertigo. My head is constantly tilted to the left. My eyes are suffering from nystagmus and I keep the gravol and a trash can close by.

Maybe it's a testament to my crazytown life that I'd end up with a spinny symptom of something else that's wrong with my head.

Stay tuned,
willow

Running with Gratefulness

2011-11-26T20:38:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have those cliche moments when you just find your momentum? Your groove? Your energy?

Today I went for a run with our dog, Suma, and found myself floating on air because of gratefulness. I was thanking the Universe for my legs, my muscles, my heart pumping blood, my lungs breathing fresh clean air. The things I take for granted. With the gratitude in my heart, I crossed over the creek on the pedestrian bridge and looked down at Suma. She was grinning ear to ear. Anyone who knows Suma, knows this particular smile. She was grateful too. Grateful for her legs, her lungs, her heart, and for me. She looked up knowingly at me as if to say "You rock, mom! Thanks for bringing me and picking up my poop with your tiny Teaopia bag." I said the same with my heart to her - except for the poop part. One day, we won't run together anymore. Sooner for her, sadly. As we met up with Burlington's best looking willow (.No, silly. Not me!) the air smelled of a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. Thank goodness I live in a safe neighbourhood where fellow exercisers greet me with a smile and the wholesomeness of the neighbourhood was encapsulated in the aroma of those chocolate chip cookies. mmmm. grateful

signed, the willow

Warm and Cozy

2011-11-24T04:30:00.000-05:00

For us, the weather is just beginning to get chilly. Warm and cozy here I come!

I think I might be able to swing this blankie. How great would that look on my bed? With a dog sleeping on top of it, of course.

Source: eismandesign.com via Val on Pinterest

No animal deserves to die and be mounted on a wall. Instead, knit a deer friend for your wall!

Source: azcentral.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

I don't knit, but if I did I think I'd like to make this large knit throw. I'd probably be able to whip it up in about a day....or not?

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Tanya on Pinterest

Love this hat.

Source: krentu.blogspot.com via Joyce on Pinterest

I'm imagining these to be cruelty free boots. There's no reason why not. They'd surely fit over my calf muscles with those laces.

Source: google.com via Joyce on Pinterest

signed, the willow

I'm married to a Griswold

2011-11-23T04:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know there aren't that many lights. But, when goes to Canadian Tire thrice each weekend day for more lights and starts chatting up the neighbour about his lights. The neighbour puts out lights, Clark Griswold puts out lights. The neighbour puts out more lights, Clark puts out more lights. And it keeps going on and on and on.

signed, the willow

Birthday Wish

2011-11-22T04:30:00.000-05:00

This year for my birthday, I wish for world peace and for maternal health throughout the world. All women deserve their god-given right to nurture and love their babies.

And all women deserve to gain some weight, put some fat on their breasts, hips, to feed their babies. Yeah. We've had our chances to be young, slim, pretty. Now we need to have fat on our waistlines to hold our children and watch our daughters be young, beautiful and give them the confidence we have now - you know, the confidence we didn't have then.

and yes, I made the latte. And then I drank it. With that little baby in it.

signed, the willow

Favourite Snack

2011-11-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

One of my most favourite snacks is my Salmon Cracker Fight Club.

Take some crackers
Brown Rice Crackers with Black Sesame Seeds
or
34 degree Rosemary Crispbread

Take some cheese
Havarti - Jalapeno!

A little spice
Spicy Spinach Dip

No Fight Club Salmon Cracker snack would be complete without

Smoked Salmon

Top it off with something sweet

Red Pepper Jelly

This was my late night dinner on Saturday night. For the Moms that needed booze, I needed booze too. First I needed this food. Then I passed out.

signed, the willow

Birthday Suits

2011-11-19T09:54:00.001-05:00

signed, the willow

Back to Work

2011-11-16T20:17:00.001-05:00

My challenge this week has been to balance a new work life with home life. Working full time for someone else hasn't happened for 8 years for me. So, it's a bit of a stretch for me.

First, I'm tired.

Second, there's no time to exercise. Or, if there is, I'm sleeping due to the point above.

Third, I miss my little girl and feel like the few precious moments in the evening are spent demanding her to do things.

Fourth, I feel guilty because everyone has made accommodations so that I can work.

Fifth, I feel squeezed, incapable, and fragile. I'm new at this, so I know that it will get better and no day will be easy or perfect.

signed, the willow

Bridge Dreams

2011-11-14T21:31:00.001-05:00

It's funny because *Mila* and I decided to talk about dreams. Oddly enough we have both dreamed that Mr. Weatherbee, from Archie comics, is a serial killer. I know it sounds hilarious. But it's not. Why is there something so strangely creepy about Mr. Weatherbee?

Then we started to discuss a common dream we both have: Driving over bridges with our fathers; Driving through water with our fathers. We want them to rescue us, but quite often we have to drive through the puddles, get a little wet, even muddy sometimes. So, why do we both have these dreams? I think I may have already answered this question. We encounter "puddles" and obstacles in life. We find bridges to cross, cars to cross the puddles in. Sometimes we get wet. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we are just plain scared. So, who better to protect us than our dads.

I'm a grown woman and yet, I still need the comfort to know that my dad will carry me through some "puddles" in life. I also find it very comforting that my daughter finds comfort with my husband, *Steve*, her dad.

As for Mr. Weatherbee....stay tuned.

signed, the willow

A Tree under the Sea

2011-11-13T18:42:00.000-05:00

This year I've decided to do an Under the Sea Christmas Tree theme.

*Mila* said she'd make the Dolphin topper. I'm making some blue whale ornaments from papier mache. We're thinking of some other things to add to the tree, like:

some coral?

Source: zgallerie.com via Pinner on Pinterest

Instead of Gingerbread men and ladies, starfish sugar cookies

Source: cutestfood.com via The Sugar Tree on Pinterest

Source: starfish garland via brassbinnacle

perhaps a paper mache kraken?

Source: anthropologie.com via Teri on Pinterest

how can we take this from a necklace and turn it into a seaweed garland?

Source: Vynn's Ravelings on etsy

I had trouble choosing on Petit Pan to pick which lamps to hang on the tree (seahorse? whale? sea tortoise? fishies?)

Source: Seahorse lamp via Petit Pan

Et toi? What are your theme ideas for your tree this year? Or are you opting for the traditional choice?

signed, the willow

Shop with a purpose

2011-11-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

Shop with a purpose by kikiwillow featuring suede booties

signed, the willow