Uncategorized

Today marked the beginning of another school year for Lena and the beginning of school for Hannah.  It was a big day here.  Outfits were carefully laid out last night, lunches were packed and new school things were labeled.

Lena was off to Grade 3, excited and scared all at the same time.  All her fellow Grade 3 friends will be in the same class with her, no split class for her this year!  I can’t wait to hear about the stories she’ll have to tell about class now….

Hannah is excited to be starting Primary!  And she’s even more excited that her teacher is even related to her!!  I wasn’t too worried about Hannah going off to school, but this makes me feel even more at ease with it, I know she is in good hands with Mrs. Craig. Can you tell from the picture just how excited she is?!!?!

Lena is happy to have Hannah join her, but feels very responsible for her, too.  But I know they’ll work the kinks out and they will both settle into their own way around the school.  Thankfully their best friends are there with them and happen to be sisters, too….we couldn’t have planned it better!

Its become a bit of a tradition that my niece and nephew get on the bus at our house the first day and today was the same thing.  It sure adds to the excitement of the day!  My parents both come up this morning, too, to see Hannah off to school, the last of their grandchildren to start.  No more Oma Days although they will still get off the bus there sometimes, if for no other reason than to keep Oma happy!!

And then the bus rolled up and on climbed my babies.

Now, this picture may just look like a group of kids getting on the bus.  But if you look closely, you can see our awesome bus driver with her hand out to high-five Hannah.  Hannah and Jules have been getting to know each other as Jules has always been Lena’s bus driver and so now, they actually get to hang out on the bus!  I think they are both excited about that!  The other thing about this picture is that boy in the red sweatshirt? That’s my other nephew, leaning in to greet Hannah as she climbs on the bus.  The cousins have been debating back and forth who gets to sit with Hannah on her first bus drive to school! I never did find out who got to sit with her, now that I mention it… I do know that not one of them was paying us any mind as we waved to them all as the bus pulled away!

And then, like a flash, the day was over and the bus pulled up again to delivered two girls with stories to share!

To be continued,

Lori

We wanted adventure, but with the gas crisis here, we opted not to drive any where.  So Hannah drew us a map and off we headed on foot.  She knew exactly where she wanted to take us. And we willingly followed.

Along the walk, we saw lots of different things, things we see regularly as we barely left our yard.  But that night, being lead by Hannah, our world looked different.  Gray Fluffy Cat { a whole other story } was around, apples lay on the ground and there were some blackberries ready to be munched on.  All very typical sights here.  But when it is a five year old that brings you to these sights, you realize these are the things that matter to her.

That got me to thinking about the little things and not taking the ordinary for granted.  I’ve always been one to enjoy the little details that life puts in front of us.  Whether it is the formation of frost on my window, the sunny colour of a sunflower petal or the smooth texture of a piece of beach glass, I tend to notice and to appreciate.  It’s funny how the small things impact my life.  The feel of an egg still warm from the nest, the shade of the weeds that line the road, the hum of bees enjoying the flowers and the smell of tired, sandy children at the end of a summer’s day. These little things all add up and bring me great pleasure in the course of my life.

So, after our Hannah-lead walk, I decided to take a few things that have caught my attention in the last few days and group them to photograph.  Partly, because I consider these things to be important, but also because I do miss the weight of my camera in my hand.  My phone is always close by and it’s so easy to snap pictures on it but I like making the effort to photograph something, anything.

I hope to do things like this more often.  These random collections of things that catch my eye.  To capture the here and now, not on my iphone, not even on my camera, but in my heart and in my memories.  But in the hearts and memories of my girls, too.  I hope they treasure these random events as much as their mama does! And I hope to teach them to appreciate the little things in life, too. Like the feeling of little arms wrapped around me…..because, really, those are the BIG things.

To be continued,

Lori

When Spring arrived and it was time to plant the garden, the first thing in the ground was the sunflower seeds.  Why? Because I love them. A lot.

Here’s why:

See? Totally justified. Plus, they are taller than the weeds in the garden.

To be continued,

Lori

I’m sitting at my table, with aching feet and a pounding headache but a full heart.  Saturday was so worth the exhaustion that always hits the day after. { Okay, so I started this post Sunday morning, lost internet on Sunday night and am just finishing it now…my feet are better, as is my headache! }

The one thing I always regret is not taking more pictures.  I snapped a few but once the people start rolling in….there’s no time for pictures!  I always have the best of intentions, because I want to show everyone who was there and how things were set up.  I didn’t even get pictures of the inside of the hall all set up!  { If anyone has pictures, please send them to me!! }

On Friday night, during the set up, I drank coffee, which in turn kept me up until midnight.  Then I woke up at 4 am and the wheels started turning and I couldn’t settle back to sleep.  So, with 4 hours of sleep, I rolled out of bed and got ready for the day.  I was at the hall by 6:30, enjoying the incredible sunrise and misty fields, in solitude.  It was the perfect start to the day!  It was so peaceful and beautiful.

Then Shane rolled in and there went the neighbourhood!!  😉  { Actually, he is a great help, he helped lug tables and take down tents! }

There’s always that hectic craziness of trying to set up the market, as an organizer, and set up your booth, as a vendor.  I’m not sure if it’ll get any easier but I know I’ll probably not stop trying to do both….I love it.  If I just organize, then I feel useless during the event.  If I only go to a market as a vendor, I don’t have as much control over things as I like to have….I didn’t realize that about myself. #controlfreak

I loved that some of our vendors did demos throughout the day.  Here is Rose showing people how fun and simple it is to Milk Paint!  I wish I had’ve got to do some painting, too!  Snippets also did a needle felting demo, I saw kids wearing the little badges they felted, so sweet! { And thank you, Ruth, for doing one with Lena later in the day – she loved it!! }

And the food truck – Taco Stiles. That was a huge draw.  Guys came to the market, solely for the food truck.  And Taco Stiles did not disappoint.  Every dish I saw go by looked incredible.  I may have eaten two different types….their Fish Taco, yum!  And then their dessert taco – Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Taco, even yummier.  I can’t even wait until my next Taco!! And I would like to say that these weren’t mine….I stopped people walking by…..I hope I didn’t drool on them…..

Guys, the thing about this market is that it was waaaaay out in the boonies.  In a tiny, rural community hall with a tin ceiling, wainscot walls and the best old dance floor in the county.  And people took a gamble on showing up.  Not only the market-goers, but the vendors, too.  And, I hope, that gamble paid off.  That the hard work Rose and I put into it paid off.  That people will believe that awesome stuff happens in the country.  That the little guys have awesome stuff to offer, yes, it may look different that what you’d expect, presented in this way, but there is nothing like the sense of community that happened this Saturday at that tiny hall in Meadowville.  The parking lot was full, and the cars lined the road in either direction.  This road has never had that kind of traffic on it….well….ever!

So, I’d like to say THANK YOU!! Thank you in believing in what we set out to accomplish for the makers and those who support these makers.  Thank you for driving those extra miles.  Thank you for putting your hard earned money into the hands of the little guys, those small business owners.  It does make a difference so thank you.

To be continued,

Lori

I love my job.  And there are many reasons why!!  Here’s a few of them:

1. I like people, they are interesting and diverse. Their stories and histories are very interesting.

2. People live in houses and I like houses.  People love to share their homes and the stories about them and the belongings that fill them.  I have seen some truly amazing houses and some of my favourite ones are not big and flashy, they are cozy, inviting spaces filled with people who make you feel welcomed.

3.  I believe that these are the gifts I was granted by God and I will use them for as long as He gives me breath.

4. It is fun to watch little bits of flooring, fabric and paint translate into a well-put together, thought-out space, whether it is one corner of a room or the entire house.  This is a huge trust factor, I can visualize it, usually my clients can’t, but they trust me and my experience to set them on the right path.

5. Being a decorator is only part decorating, it is very much being a problem solver.  Also, part marriage counselor….. Math skills also help. Those formulas from high school?  I use them.  And I like it.

6. People love their pets and will choose colours around them.  Not even kidding.  Your pet has light hair? Light furniture, light floors. Dark hair? Dark furniture, dark floors.  I have no pets that live in my house, but sometimes the same rules apply to small children…

7. I get to travel around Nova Scotia and see sights that blow my mind.  This province is stunning, I tell you, stunning.  I especially love travelling down little cottage lanes, you just never know what could be waiting at the end.

8. I’ve been presented with some pretty awesome opportunities to do some pretty awesome things, and for that I am thankful.

9. It’s fun.  I get to drive around, visit people and cool stores, and call it my job.  Swwweeeeet!!!

To be continued,

Lori

PS – I do offer consultations so if you need me, let me know – I’m happy to help 🙂  Check out the Services tab above!!