Wordless Wednesday | Cuba 2019

xox
Joanne

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this story. Feel free to leave a comment and let’s chat!

Wordless…

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Happiness 101.10

• Returning to my favourite place on Earth after being away for 26 years.
• Letting go of past fears and embracing present strengths.
• Amazing friends.
• Taking my kids to Toronto, and to the top of the CN Tower.
• Learning about religion, politics + golf.
• Ice cream in the park.
• 24hr bike tour of Ottawa with Quinner.
• Kayaking.
• Swimming though seaweed.
• The Old Spaghetti Factory.
• The LEGO® Store.
• Butterflies.
• Bargain hunting at Value Village and The Salvation Army Thrift Store.
• Knowing my boys are so wonderful and fantastic, and being told so by all who meet them. 
• Snuggles + Giggles.
• Allowing love—in all forms—to enter my life.

{ Psst… I love to receive feedback on my posts. Please leave your comments whenever you feel inspired to do so! }

Happiness 101.4

It has been far too long since I made a regular appearance here. As such, I spent much of today reading through the JoeGirl archives, trying to collect some inspiration to write. There are so many posts from the past year that I think are worth revisiting, but I’ll let you find those on your own. Look thru June and July 2008. There is some excellent material back there.

I was particularly inspired by my Happiness 101 entries. And—as I have been distracted of late by my obsession with all things health + fitness, and unable to think of anything else inspiring—I thought a simple Happiness 101 post would be the perfect way to kick off more regular contributions here at JoeGirl… once again.

Here is my current list of simple things that bring a smile to my face just thinking about them.

• Dancing. Summer 2009 favourites? “Boom Boom Pow” [Black Eyed Peas], “Poker Face” [Lady GaGa], “Calle Ocho” [Pitbull], and “Africa” [Karl Wolf].
• Walking down the stairs to Marshall’s gym, anticipating another incredible workout.
• Marley, surprising me by gently putting her head on my lap from under my desk.
• Sunshine. We’ve had record-breaking rainfall here in Eastern Ontario this Summer.
• Rainbow Trout and fresh steamed green vegetables.
• Putting on a pair of shorts from last summer and watching them fall right off. Two sizes too big is such an incredible feeling.
• Finally picked out a new pair of skis today to replace my defective ones. They are spicy sweet—Elan’s Black Magic.
• Quinn and Jake laughing together tonight. I have no idea what they were doing, but the sound of their laughter made my heart sing.
• My shiny new Sharpie pens.
• Jake delivered a fresh sprig of garden Lavender to me while I was in the bath this evening.
• Thinking of darkening my hair.
• Bare feet. Short, unpolished finger and toenails. Makeup-free face. Hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Simply… Fresh.
  
• Knowing I can trust my best friends with my life.
• Vodka + Tonic with lemon and lime.
• Falling asleep listening to my iPod—Angels + Airwaves. The Fray. Colbie Caillat.
• My three boys. They are so darned adorable [See picture below. Taken July 25, 2009].
  
• Knowing you are still out there, ready to read when I am ready to write.

What are your Happinesses today?

Palette: Black Eyed Susans

In keeping with the recent eye theme {!?}, I invite you to enjoy this bouquet of freshly-picked Rudbeckia, or Black Eyed Susans. Although I am not usually a fan of yellow, Rudbeckia is one of my all-time favourite flowers. Their masses of perky petals bloom just as the colours of my Spring perennials are fading, giving my garden a blazing shot of sunshine brilliance, even on the gloomiest of days.

“Black Eyed Susans”: Pantone Black 6U, 138, 7406, 7490

If you would like to know paint equivalents to these colours, simply post a comment and I will happily provide.

30 Seconds to Sangria!

We’re finally heading into a hot weekend here in Ottawa, and I want to be prepared to enjoy every moment. This has been a Summer of unpredictable weather, chilly mornings and rainy afternoons, so the next few days promise lots of outdoor adventures, dancing in the street, and cool drinks on the front porch.

One of our favourites to mix up on demand is the easiest Sangria imaginable.

Ingredients:
. 1 750ml bottle of any red wine you can find. Even the cheap stuff will do.
. 1 can frozen Five Alive Citrus
. A big, sweet, juicy orange

Mix it up!
. Pour the red wine into a typical juice jug.
. Add the can of frozen Five Alive.
. Top with cold water, orange slices and ice cubes.
. Decant into a festive pitcher and enjoy with friends!

This recipe was given to Andrew by a Mexican woman with whom he once worked. If she can get away with making Sangria this way, we all can!

What’s your favourite Summertime beverage?

Holà!

Scram! Beat it! Get Lost!

Two weeks to go. Two long, what-the-heck-am-I-gonna-do-with-them-today weeks.

Back to school for us is Tuesday September 2nd, after the last long weekend of the Summer. My countdown started on the first day off, as you may recall from my June 26 post, “Already Bored”.

Don’t mistake my excitement for school to begin as the desire to rid my house of the kids. It is instead based on my insatiable need for solitude and quiet. I adore my boys, as any good mother does, but being raised as an only child (yes, I have mentioned my two sisters before, but from the age of six, I was the only child in the house), I was spoiled by the ability to do—within reason—what I wanted, when I wanted, and how I wanted—with no interruptions.

Of course having a child, and then another, changed all that. Everything is interrupted: Sleep. Sex. Housework. Conversations. Shopping. Bathing. Reading. Breathing. You’d think after seven years of Motherhood, I would be used to it, but I am just way too stubborn to let go of the idea that I should be allowed to spend a good chunk of the day in PEACE.

Come September 2nd, I am going to spoil myself silly. I am going to make up for the eight weeks of “Maaaawm? Can I -----?” and “Maaaaawm, when are we gonna -----?” and sometimes even “MOM! How many times do I have to ask you!???”

For at least the first week with the house to myself, between the hours of 9am and 4pm, I am going to nothing for anybody else, but ME.

Selfish? Yep. Greedy? Indeed. Self-indulgent? Absolutely. Deserved? YESSSSSS.

Here are a few ways I am going to spend my glorious free time:

• Organize my blue room.
• Enjoy a trip to the spa for pedicure and manicure.
• Go for fresh blondification and revitalized layers at the hair salon.
• Paint the kitchen, living room, foyer, upstairs hallway and mud/laundry room.
• Back-to-school baking—a freezer full of it.
• Populate my Etsy shop with more product.
• Touch base with past Signature HomeStyles customers and hostesses in an attempt to rejuvenate that business.
• Sew Jake’s long overdue duvet cover to match his quilt.
• Sort Quinn’s closet full of art and school work into properly labeled boxes.
• Clean every window in the house. Inside, outside, tracks and all.

• Blog about it, every step of the way.

How are you planning to spend your free time after the kids are back at school?

On the line

The first Monday in August is a statutory holiday here in Ontario—The August Long Weekend. There’s a lot of pressure to make unforgettable long weekend plans. While we had intended to go camping with the tent trailer for three nights, we chickened out on account of unpredictable weather, and unpredictable Jake. He is two, after all.

Instead, we traveled locally to Andrew’s sister’s in-law’s cottage. Beautiful place. My sister-in-law, Elizabeth, is an amazing woman. An inspiration. She grew up playing hockey with some of Canada’s best women players. She is incredibly resourceful and able to do anything. She has has canoed some of Canada’s roughest waters and hiked some of our roughest terrain. Yet she is nurturing and fair, thoughtful and generous. Andrew and I have always said, if we ever had a daughter, we would want her to be just like Elizabeth.

Yesterday Elizabeth bought some junior fishing rods for the kids. She and Greg have three girls—ages four, two and nine-months. They are busy parents. But as I said, resourceful and thoughtful, and always prepared to engage the kids with a unique and entertaining activity.

After some tedious assembly, detailed instruction, and determined practice, Liz took the two oldest kids out to fish. This was Quinn’s first time fishing. Given the heat and the crazy, knot-prone lines, nobody was expecting anything to be caught.

After a little while out on the lake with no results, they returned close to shore, lingering among some lilypads, hoping for that magical moment when you feel a gentle tug on your line. Within minutes Liz yelled “We have a fish!” We squinted out to see it was our Quinn dangling a nice fish from his line. Looked like a Small Mouthed Bass, maybe about 2 pounds. He was beaming with pride. Not two minutes later, Liz yelled again “We have another one!”, and it was her daughter this time, struggling to keep the fish out of water for all to see. We were all cheering with excitement, pride and a good amount of disbelief. It was incredible for the kids.

Last night, while laying in bed, Quinn and I shared a sweet conversation about the experience:

Quinn: “Were you proud of me for catching that fish?”
Me: “Absolutely. And so excited!”
Quinn: “Why didn’t we keep it to eat?”
Me: “Because he was too small. By the time we cleaned it, there wouldn’t have been much meat left.”
Quinn: “There’s nothing like eating fresh fish that you just caught yourself... It’s like there’s victory inside!”

Summer Blues

Steel blue eyes peeking out from cozy towel.

Popcorn 2¢

Summer 2007.
Business venture between Quinn and friend Dana.
Sign by Quinn.

Tie-Dye High

Man, kids are amazing.

This morning was my second of five Kid’s Summer Craft Workshops: Tie-Dye T-shirts. I had little to no experience with tie-dye, so feared the worst, especially with the eighteen kids that were confirmed to participate. What was I thinking?

The activity went off without a hitch. Everybody arrived on time, so I only needed to explain everything once. The kids—boys and girls ranging in age from 2 to 11—all listened wonderfully. I explained the various ways of tying the elastics to achieve different results: circles, bulls eyes, lines... I showed them examples that Quinn had done at Beavers. And I told them there was going to be some waiting involved while the shirts soaked in the pre-wash, then again while the dyes cured.

I have never seen a better behaved bunch of kids.

Not 100% certain I had mixed the dyes properly, and kinda fudging the entire process (there are way too many variations on tie-dying), I was worried all the colour would wash away with the rinse, and I would quickly become the neighbourhood idiot.

I took every precaution against this: I had the kids bring 100% cotton, pre-washed, white t-shirts. They tied them while dry, then they soaked for 15 minutes in Soda Ash, which I believe is the key to colour-fastness. The kids then used squeeze bottles to apply the dyes to the shirts—using their wonderful and extraordinary imaginations to come up with glorious colours, patterns and designs. One of the older boys even incorporated a happy face, using marbles to dot out the eyes, nose and smile. So clever.

In an exercise where skin and clothes, never mind household furnishings, could have been ruined, I believe not one kid left with a stain of any sort. We all used gloves and wore grubby clothes, but more importantly, the process was explained, the kids listened, and care was taken.

I am so thrilled, and absolutely, positively, wonderstruck at these incredible kids. Brilliant. What a fantastic morning.

Hostess and Husband

Andrew and I celebrating Canada Day on our back deck.
July 1st, 2008.

Homemade Popsicles

Quinn, last week on our back deck, enjoying a homemade grape juice Popsicle. He thought he saw a bubble in the hole of the stick, but despite blowing with all his might, nothing happened.

Packing List

Today is vacation day. We are headed to a hunt camp cabin resort in the Ottawa Valley. We have been staying in the same cabin, at the same resort, the same week in July every year for nine years. Andrew’s family has been going for almost sixty years. Of the eighteen or so cabins, our extended family now occupies five of them. It is the best week of my entire year. People think I am nuts when I say that. Then I tell them I don’t have to cook.

The family who owns the resort prepares farm-fresh meals three times a day. There is nothing for us to do except sweep the cabin, drain the cooler, apply sunscreen, and wait for the dining room bell.

Here are my Top 10 Luxury Items for the week:

10. A case of Smirnoff Ice
9. No more, and certainly no less, than one can of low-fat Pringles
8. An empty make-up bag. Who needs anything more than lip balm at a cabin?
7. Trashy celebrity magazines
6. My beading kit
5. Dental floss
4. Our His & Hers ultra plush white terry bathrobe, under which I am completely naked as I walk to the public showers.
3. Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil
   
2. Something new. This year, a cool colourful pair of madras shorts.
1. My down pillow, to be misted nightly with lavender linen water.

As you may have guessed — because you’re so clever — I won’t be blogging this week. I’ll be observing, and continually inspired, while I’m gone, and promise to make up for lost time when I return.

Enjoy your week!

... and now it is Monday.

My Sunday was nice. Though I aspired to do as many things on yesterday’s Feel Good To Do List as I could, I only completed six of the 15 suggested:

• I hugged Andrew, Quinn and Jake. Lots.
  
• I danced. By myself, as usual.
  
• I tickled the boys and made them laugh. Even Andrew.
  
• I wrote a birthday greeting to my friend Laurence.
  
• I sang. I always sing.
  
• I made grape juice Popsicles with Quinn, but haven’t eaten one yet.
  

Today’s bead workshop went off without a hitch. Well, almost. Poor Quinn has come down with something, and spent the day either in his bed or on the sofa. Fever, aches, nausea. Hope this passes quickly, and without affecting anybody else.

Also managed to submit the first draft, of the second of three documents to my graphic design client. A day or two earlier than promised. Awesome.

A rather bland entry tonight. I apologize. I promise to be more witty (wittier?) tomorrow.
Wish me a restful, vomit-free night... Fingers crossed.

G is for Gentle

Since our first son Quinn was born just over seven years ago, we have taught him to be GENTLE. Don’t bite Mommy when she’s nursing you. Don’t pull Daddy’s chest hair. Flat hands when petting the dog. Hug, don’t hurt.

But GENTLE extends well beyond physical aspects. We want our children to be gentle with their hands, their heads and their hearts as well.

I'm sitting at my desk looking out onto the front lawn. It is gorgeous outside. Sunny and hot. I am trying to focus on my current contract, but as I wrote yesterday, I am easily distracted.

Quinn and his friend are playing in the Mt. Tiki Super Soaker he received for his birthday. It shoots water straight up, with intense pressure, at unknown intervals. Scares the shit out of the kids, and makes them laugh hysterically. Fun to watch.

But after only a few minutes playing with the thing as it was intended, new methods were devised. Picking it up and aiming it at things (house, car, each other). Turning it upside down and blasting the grass out of the soil. Sitting on it in the hopes it will clean out their colons, I guess.

I just want my kids to be GENTLE. With everyone and everything. I don't want them wrecking lawns, garage doors, gardens and least of all bums.

Where did I go wrong?

Palette: Sips of Summer

Proof that inspiration really can be found anywhere.

I was loading the dishwasher last weekend and there it was — a delightfully fresh palette for the early days of Summer (ignore the sour milk residue and fermented apple juice drippings).

Cool, watery blues. Warm, sunshine yellows. Inspired thoughts of kiddie pools and Popsicles, beach umbrellas and picnics in the sand.

“Sips of Summer”: Pantone 298, 2935, 123, 715

Swinging heads

Crazy kids.

Palette: Strawberries & Chocolate

I am colour-obsessed. Especially when found in simple nature.

As such, I will be offering a weekly palette for those who adore colour even nearly as much as I do.

This week’s palette inspired by:
Today’s berry-picking, and berry-eating, excursion with the boys.

“Strawberries & Chocolate”: Pantone 578, 363, 4695, 186

Already bored.

Today is the first day of Summer vacation.

My seven-year old son, Quinn and a couple of his buddies were just sittin’ around on the front lawn lookin’ for somethin’ tuh do. I’m trying to replicate their pathetic ho-hum attitude.

Lame Mother that I am, I tried to engage them in conversation. How idiotic I felt when they just looked at me and rolled their eyes.

So I march inside the house to the blue room, my office/craft room/retreat, and haul out an assortment of beads — the most boyish ones I could find. “Okay guys, c’mon over here! We’re making chokers.” Surprisingly, they came quite willingly. The three of them jammed those beads on the cords to create very random, very uncoordinated creations in less than 30 minutes. Because we know they had more pressing things to do.

Word got out about my impromptu beading workshop. Two little eight-year old girls came over next. I went back inside and returned with more girly beads. Well, they poured over those beads for a good long while — laying them out symmetrically, matching colours and textures, and comparing designs. With their dainty fingers, beads were strung one by one. Designs were changed, wrists and necks were measured, stories were shared. In more than twice the amount of time the boys spared, the girls had created elegantly structured, precisely crafted and beautifully coordinated necklaces and bracelets.

One afternoon down, 67 more to go.