Writing for a Year

It's been one year since I started writing this blog. I haven't made photos albums or scrapbooks or recorded the day my son learned to walk on his own or said his first word. But, 85 posts later, I summarize this:

• I live in a super neighborhood, in a really nice house, with a wonderful husband and awesome kid. 
• I am blessed to be at home with my kid.
• He rocks!
• Living a peaceful and balanced family life is an art.
• Taking time to do things I enjoy is essential to my health and the health of my family.
• Doesn't nature just blow your mind?

Some say that blogging is "so over". Especially blogs written my moms. And sometimes I think it's true. It takes a lot of writing talent to have a following, not to mention something to say. It seems it's all about saying it quick and I admit, I sometimes think my brain can't handle more than 2 paragraphs at a time. But, still. I think I will continue. You never know, maybe someone out there is enjoying it, and I certainly am.

neighborhood owl

Take your Reptile for a Walk

This morning, we left the breakfast mess on the counter and the oatmeal to congeal. We went upstairs to play with a wooden train set, then we dressed our son in his Halloween costume. I say it's a dragon, my husband says it's a dinosaur and the neighbors said: "Take a look at that fine looking crocodile!" Bonus! 3 costumes in one. We took our "reptile" to a local coffee shop, got coffees,  and visited the fire truck at the station. We walked to the park and swung the reptile, then we walked back playing hide-and-seek along the way and admiring the colors of the autumn leaves. We held hands and made fun of ugly houses in the neighborhood. It was a beautiful, peaceful morning. Just the way I like them. The three of us, doing our thing.

Some weekends it feels like there's so much to do: cleaning, cooking, fixing the car, grocery shopping, etc... and that it will never end. When one thing gets fixed another breaks, and don't get me started on meals, sometimes I wish we didn't have to eat as often to survive. Once or twice a week would be great. Overall though, I feel I've come to relax about this. It will get done. Eventually. One day. When it needs to. I'd rather enjoy doing less and doing it with joy and intention then frantically trying to get it all done. Keeping things simple is also a great way to reduce feelings of "being SO busy." On Zen Family Habits, I picked out some of their 43 Simple Ways To Simplify Your Life.

My favorites are: 

1. Turn off your cell phone. I don't own one so Yay! That's easy!
2. Go to bed early. I hit the sack at 9pm. It's the only way I can stay sane. Sane Mommy=happy family. Insane Mommy makes lame dinners.
3. Purge as much unneeded clutter as possible. The less you have, the less needs attention.
4. Want what you have not what you don’t. This is hard at first, but try it. Tell yourself: "I have every thing I need and it's perfect for me."
5. Get outside. This relates back to going to bed early. Going outside every day keeps me sane. I'd like to go to wilderness more often though; less parks, more forests.
6. Let go of the self-imposed need to be perfect. So the floor is crusty and baby keeps bringing me the fluff off the carpet. It doesn't matter.  I just go outside.

Must do these:

1. Keep a bag for garbage in your car. I keep meaning to do this and forget.
2. Ask for experiences not things for your birthday and Christmas this year. This is what I read: Ask for Mommy Time for your birthday and Christmas this year. Not and hour. A FULL AFTERNOON, or even a FULL DAY.

Ones that don't work for me:

1. Get a label maker or write labels out by hand. Labelers are weird people and generally overuse their label maker. Label makers tend to become sign makers, and then the signs become lists of rules. I don't label- it's a scary thing.
2. Set your clothes out for the next day the night before. Place it neatly on the bed and step back to admire your selection. Weird. Just put on clothes. 
3. Be positive. Blah. Be angry or depressed if you want. Do it fully. Then move on.

Keeping it simple really is key. However that looks for you. It's easy: play hide-and-seek with a reptile, hold hands with the one you love, drink a decent cup of coffee, and marvel at nature. When all that is done, come home, vacuum the fluff off the carpet. Call it a day and go to bed early.

Take the Bus to The OutPost Cafe

Just recently discovered this wonderful spot for a coffee on Fraser and 25th! It's been hard to find decent coffee in Cedar Cottage aside from the Cedar Cottage Coffee House, and the "staff room" there rocks my world. What more can a mom ask for: strong caffeine, yummy candied ginger muffins and a place for my almost 2 year old to hang out and play with toys! I love the relaxed atmosphere with the high ceilings, and the stack of readables. I say no more line ups and crazy crowds at Little Nest. (Sorry, I love you Little Nest, but sometimes I need peace and quiet.)

YAY! I wish we had a place like this on Commercial Street. Come on! Someone! Anyone!

TADA! A Chef's Kitchen!

Play Kitchen Extraordinaire!

For a grand total of about $60, I finally completed this play kitchen for my son. Here's a list of supplies in case you feel like giving it a try! It was a lot easier than I thought.

Things I had:
1. nightable
2. paint, paintbrushes
3. jigsaw, screwdrivers, drill, drill bits
4. shelf (found in the lane)
5. blocks

Things I bought:
1. knobs and handle for the oven $5
2. sticky backsplash $10
3. sink $2
4. wood for the back and oven door $15
5. cabinet hinge for oven door $5
6. food $3
7. different lengths of screws $6
8. primer $15

Some tips: (sorry if this seems obvious)
1. Don't skip the primer, sand and paint 2 coats of it, then paint 2 more coats with acrylic.
2. Pre-drill all your holes. (Make sure the drill is drilling IN the hole and not OUT.)
3. Make sure you have screws that match your screwdrivers.
4. Keep your budget in mind. It's super easy to go bananas and start adding things like an antique faucet, a chalkboard menu, curtains, etc... especially with the fake food, it's easy to blow $100 on fake groceries! Search your home high and low for what you already have, borrow from friends, beg people for free stuff and then stop.
5. HAVE FUN and remember "It's a long term project"- let the paint dry!

My Zen Garden

my stuff

I've never been a very big fan of coffee tables. Sure, I like being able to put my feet up, if you're allowed, but generally, I find that most empty surfaces tend to get cluttered. Coffee tables are the worse for that: books, cups, pens, toys, notes, keys etc... I try to contain the stuff with containers. I use a big tray.




My husband had this habit of putting his stuff on the fire mantel which would drive me insane, so I gave him a tray too. (notice how much smaller it is..not sure if that was intentional). I think it made me insane because the fireplace is usually the focal point of a room and the junk, sorry, the stuff, seemed highlighted there. I put his tray up on our living room sideboard to protect the fireplace and designed the mantel as my zen garden aka no clutter zone.

his stuff

Up until recently, I've been growing my "back yard": 3 pots with grass. Today I took them outside for some fresh air and decided to refresh my zen garden. While reading "Simply Imperfect- Revisiting the Wabi-Sabi House" by Robyn Griggs Lawrence in my quest to continue adding some wabi-sabi to my life, I reread the chapter on uncluttering made easy. Two items stood out: allow only three items on each surface and keep windowsills clear of knickknacks and potted plants.

Okay so I was going in the right direction with having only 3 items, but not with the potted plants. So here's what I've come up with. My favorite school chair, a mini pumpkin and a river rock. So when the floors get covered in toys, counters spewed with dishes and stairs with shoes, I just have to look up for some zen.

My wabi sabi zen garden

Kitchen Play-Act 2

Just finished the first coat of paint on the play kitchen yesterday. It's starting to look pretty fancy- dancy if you ask me! I used some leftover gray and beige paint from our storage and spruced it up with an orange front. I still need another coat of paint, knobs, doodads and the backsplash- ohh la la! On va cuisiner comme des vrais chefs! I sure hope my Babe digs this kitchen as much as I do- he might just use the oven as a garage for his cars, and if that's the case, it's all good.

I've been on the look out for kitchen accessories and scored today in China Town and at Value Village! Yes, I know, I know, I can hear a collective gasp from mothers out there thinking "What about the BPA?" Children toys generally do not contain Bisphenol A- so I think the plastic veggies are okay. We will probably end up replacing them as my friend Meggie felts some for us. (hint, hint.) As for the few spatulas I bought, as long as we don't microwave them or suck on them a lot, I think we'll be fine. So I'm super happy. We're almost there- stay tuned for the final reveal!

I got a huge bag of food for $3. Once I discarded the french fries, potato chips and donuts, I was left with lots of fruits and veggies and some cans. I did find something curious. The flash on the camera gives it that "mysterious" look doesn't it? Can you guess what it is?

1606 East 15th Ave

Thomas Bell House

As promised, I am sharing some of my new findings about our neighborhood, Cedar Cottage. It turns out there is a man by the name of James C. Johnstone who makes his living as a house historian (cool job eh?) who has researched the history of over 800 homes in Vancouver. He is also Chair of the Friends of the Vancouver City Archives Society and of the Strathcona Residents' Association. He has researched one Cedar Cottage house on the corner of 15th avenue and Fleming and if you've ever walked around Clark Park you would definitely notice it, the Thomas Bell House.  In his blog "When an old house whispers.." Mr. Johnstone shares some really interesting findings and photographs about it.

This beautiful home was built sometimes around 1906 for retired sheet metal company owner, Thomas Bell just across from John Fleming's house, a Cedar Cottage land owner and house plasterer (hence Fleming Street-neat!). Thomas Bell, born in Ontario, lived there for a while with his family until 1918 when it was bought by the Peden family and then by the Scottish-born lithographer Frank C. Smith and his wife Margaret in 1919.


Frank and Margaret lived there until the later '40s. After his wife's death, Frank remarried, but willed the house to his housekeeper Pearl Dixon upon his death. (oh, scandal!?) She lived in the house from 1954 to 1960 and married Roderick G. Mackenzie. When Pearl died the house was willed to the Catholic Church and was run as a home for children. In 1974, the government took over and from 1985 to 1996 in was operating as a group home. Luckily, the Thomas Bell house survived possible demolition since then and the current owner has lovingly restored it.

That's Pearl in the yard and the Catholic Church in the back.

Autumn Treasures

Walking around the neighborhood with my camera gives me a chance to look around differently. Today I pretended to be a squirrel. Here's what I saw.

Where are the gnomes?

Family of hedgehogs?

Watch your fingers, it bites!

Tangled

Fireworks

Soaking

Neighbor's garden

Paper, Paper, Paper

The Pile
I've always thought that I was pretty good at containing and purging all the paper that enters the house: bills, receipts, cards, pamphlets, newspapers, flyers, bank statements, paper bags etc... but I was wrong. How do I know this?

The Realization
Last month, my husband and I started to clean out a large wardrobe (which we used as a place for junk) to make space for a desk. Aside from 3 staplers, oodles of pushpins and piles of picture-less frames, there was a mountain of papers. Piles of hydro, phone and gas bills, piles of bank statements, tax papers, investment statements, receipts, and warranties all with our personal information and account numbers printed all over them.

The Task
With the fear of identity theft we decided to shred everything. At some point we inherited a mini envelop size shredder, I think meant mostly for receipts. As I began shredding the piles, one paper at a time, as it clearly warns on the shredder, it became very clear that I needed one of those big shredding trucks . Most of the papers were not pre-folded to fit in so, I started to fold them, then I got super dry hands and paper cuts. And then I said: F***K! this is going to take forever. I guess it's payback for hoarding for so long.

I decided to take the pile down to the tv room and deal with it every time I watch a show which meant I had to ditch the shredder 'cause it was too loud. To save my hands I started to use scissors to cut out our "top secret" information. The pile got smaller and now it fits in a basket which I hide under the couch. (It's still there- I promise I'll get to it)


The New System
1. When one bill arrives, I pay it and throw away last month's.
2. I deal with each piece of paper on the first floor so that piles don't spread throughout the house.
3. I bought a small portable filing container where all our important documents live.
4. My husband and I get one shoe box each for back taxes.

So far so good. One basket to go!

17th and Knight-ca 1908

Wow!  The Vancouver Archives is a great way to see what Cedar Cottage looked like  more than a 100 years ago!  Click on the links to see more photos. There's a neat photo of houses and cars in the 80's which to some of us feels like more than a 100 years ago!

Cedar Cottage east of Knight [Road (Street)] and 17th Avenue

Cedar Cottage southeast of Taylor [Road (Welwyn Street)] and Fleming Road [Street]

[Houses along East] 11th Avenue at Victoria [Drive]

Cedar Cottage October 1909-Vancouver Archives

Cedar Cottage- a bit of history

When I first decided to move to Cedar-Cottage Kensington in East Vancouver, I couldn't find any information about what it's like to live here. Up from "The Drive",  I live in Cedar Cottage which is located North of Kingsway to Broadway, between Clark and Knight Streets and Nanaimo Street.(Kensington is located south of Kingsway to 41st Avenue, between Fraser and Nanaimo Streets.) I live on Commercial street which is really neat. Neat how? I think it has to do with the history.

Almost anyone who gets lost because Victoria Drive curves all of a sudden near 18th avenue (curving streets confuse us Vancouver grid drivers) says: "Oh, what a neat street! I didn't know this was here!" It's surprising to see a wide tree-lined street with businesses, even though some seem abandoned and graffitied when you expect rows of houses. Right away you wonder why and what this street was like before.

In 1888 , Arthur Wilson bought 16 acres of land near Knight and Kingsway which became known as the Cedar Cottage nurseries. He also purchased land around Trout Lake for farming. In 1891, the link between New Westminster and Vancouver brought more farmers and business to the area and especially around the tram stop at 18th avenue and Commercial Street. Lord Selkirk School, at 1750 East 22nd Avenue, was designed by W.T. Whiteway and built in 1908.  By 1910, there was a bank, 40 businesses, a school house, and a post office. You can still see the history of Cedar Cottage if you look carefully, although it's slowly disappearing. I was sad to see what seemed like a creepy farm house at 3845 Dumfries being completely gutted and squeezed by 3 new homes. It was the somewhat famed Wayside Inn, a place to rest before cars took over the Vancouver landscape in 1910-20's and slowly drew away business away from the neighborhood and toward False Creek and the city center.

There's always more to discover about the history of the area. The longer I live here, the more I hear things through the grapevine. I'll post more "insider" information as I come to learn it, but if you need general information, the City of Vancouver website posts good information about our neighborhood. Keep on reading!

Sleeping Beauties

I proudly planted tulip bulbs for the first time. Every spring when I see gardens full of flowers, I always kick myself for not thinking about planting some of my own and so this year, I took advantage of a few coupons and purchased two new pots at GardenWorks. (Very beautiful and inspiring, but very expensive, so look for coupons or go on their customer appreciation day) You might also try to go to Wing Wong's (I like saying Wing Wong lots, Wing Wong!) just a few doors down on Marine Drive going East. They have amazing fruits and veggies, plus really reasonably priced plants.

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've wanted to seek out more Wabi Sabi, so I purchased this beautiful warped pot for some "Pied a Terre" bulbs. Can't wait til Spring!

The Play Kitchen

I'm not sure if this is the case with all moms, but when it's time to take care of myself I get itchy and impatient. I have this thing with using my hands and letting my creative juices come out. This needs to happen on a regular basis otherwise my head gets filled with ideas and I start to feel dizzy. So it's extremely important for me to carve out time for my hands to move.

I got this idea to build a play kitchen for my son out of an old bedside table I've had for ages. "How clever!" I thought. Plus it went well with my "don't let Ikea into the house" vibe I've been on, so after looking at all the other clever builders' play kitchens on the web, I was ready to tackle this project. Never mind that I know next to nothing about woodworking.


First I collected tools from various friends and neighbors and powered the batteries. Then I went to the hardware store at least 4 times to get screws, knobs, primer and other "kitchen components". I'm not good with measurements, and the guy at the store has been super patient with me.

"1 and 3/8th?" he asked.
"Yes, you know, a bit longer than an inch plus two little lines." I replied with a smile thinking (please don't leave, I still have 8 other questions to ask.)

"So, you wanna work on the play kitchen?" I asked my husband for the 4th time because I was too nervous to use the skill saw to cut out the sink. Wanna? Wanna? Wanna? We cut out the sink and screwed on the back splash and then we ran into problems. So I went back to the hardware store. And the same guy was there.

"Can I have screws that are longer than this one and shorter than this one? I asked him with a really wide smile.

At this time I've managed to screw on 3 "gas knobs", to re-cut the oven door (12 inches and 4 little lines was not the right measurement the first time around) and to sand the whole thing. "It's a long term project." my husband said before he left on business. It's a long term project, it's a long term project, I say to myself every time I go back to the hardware store for advice and supplies.

And you know what?  I'm loving it! I'm making a play kitchen for my son with wood!! My hands are moving, my mind is quieted, my creativity is flowing and I'm happy. And that's how I take care of myself.

First Words

I really want to capture Babe's first words. Not in any particular order.

Maman
Daddy
Encore
Agua
Douille (nouilles)
A car
Googie (cookie)
Booboo (mommy's milk)
Doodoo (mattress to jump on)
Done
wee-oo-ee-oo (firetruck)
cheese
ma-ma-ma (grand-maman)

Isn't that all you really need?

Add a little Wabi Sabi

I'm going to add more Wabi Sabi to my life. The Zen Buddhist philosophy of Wabi Sabi; Wabi meaning simplicity, and Sabi meaning the beauty of age and wear, celebrates beauty in what's natural, flaws and all.

When I think of simple things that become beautiful with time and wear, I think of gardens, leather, paint, wood, paper, books, fabrics, skin, pottery, long loving relationships, homemade food, space, objects which hold stories, flowers, and photographs.

Instinctively I've noticed that the more I seek these things, the more I relax. It seems that there is a trend back to more natural, long-lasting, handmade things and sometimes it appears to be more costly, but in the end, it's a lot easier to love the mismatched silver forks your grandma gave you than the "wow, we have that Ikea" cutlery. It's easier to wear those super comfy leather boots you've had resoled three times than the "but they were on sale" faux pleather leather shoes.

I can think of many examples in my life where Wabi Sabi lives. Every once in a while my husband buys me flowers, and I get just as much joy looking at them when they are perky and new as when they start to droop and dry out.

Today I went to the pool and I was grateful for seeing all the naked ladies there. It made me feel beautiful because I could see so clearly how we are so different in shapes, size, lumps and bumps that all that difference is so "imperfectly, naturally" beautiful.

I go for walks with my son, and inevitably I bring home a bit of nature: a handful of pine cones, a feather, a stick, a brick... I've noticed that I care less about imperfection in natural things than in things made to look "perfectly fabricated." I don't want to see any more particle board, polyester carpet, and plastic containers. I want tasty, juicy, dirty, mangled veggies, clutter free surfaces, and cotton underwear!


Leonard Cohen poetically said "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." And that's what I'm going to look for.

No Fun Zone

 

I came upon this sign at the Olympic Village. I couldn't help but laugh. This is the kind of thing that brands Vancouver a "no fun" city. What about this instead?

If this park is fun for you, come again!

Bring your family and friends.

Be nice to the other kids while you're playing.

Leave your pet at home so you can play more freely.

If it's raining, play carefully.

Leave the park cleaner than you found it.

Enjoy!

Giving Thanks

What springs to mind easily is to be thankful for family, friends and good health, but upon a bit of reflection, I'd also like to take a moment to be thankful for:

1. My son's laughter which springs up like bubbles in the air. Because it's funny to throw things and throw yourself off the furniture!
2. My husband's hugs, always present, always loving, and reassuring. They lift the accumulation of crud off of my shoulders. You know, crud: worries, stress, boredom, etc...
3. My neighbors who share food, ideas, time, and conversation.
4. My car. Yup. I am thankful for having a car. To drive to the aquarium, to the library or to a friend's house when it's nasty out and I don't want to share public transportation with wet people.
5. Speaking of libraries. I am thankful for libraries. It's free! What's free nowadays?
6. Nature. These days, I'm admiring my neighbors' apples. I want to eat one, but I won't 'cause it's not neighborly, but I want to.
7. Music. 'Cause it makes me dance.
8. Brunch. Who doesn't love brunch with friends?
9. Coffee, chocolate, and cheese.
10. Sleep.