#360 Missing PrecipitaShawn

Today was a perfect Friday.

To start, I was not working... Thank you Boxing Day.

Add to that, sleeping in. A relaxing morning at the chalet, a leisurely drive around lac Massawippi and the company of my man and the dogs. 

All in all it was as close to perfect as it is going to get.  

If I was to critique anything, it would have been the lack of snow, otherwise... perfection!

#313 Sunday: Rest and RelaxaShawn

Slept-in til 10AM

Pancakes. 

Pajamas until 2PM.

Walk the dogs.

PVRed Figure Skating and channel surfing.

In bed by 8:30pm.

Asleep by 10:30pm.

#306 Crafting ExploShawn

T'was another busy day today. 

I got up early-ish.  had breakfast, then putzed about, un-decoration the house from Hallowe'en. No mote skulls, no more spiders, no more snakes, no more severed hands, no more eyeballs, no more bones, no more crows...  well okay fewer crows. There are ALWAYS crows...

Then a quick tidy of the kitchen and BAM!  Craft Time!

I made a new arrangement of collected feathers and put them under a cloche. Then I put my recently purchased Abalone Shell, Crow Feather and some White Sage in a glass display box. 

Then I added another shadow box onto the Kitchen Wall. This one with cookie cutters: an 'S' for Shawn, a small dog-bone for Santiago, an large dog-bone for Peanut and an 'M' for Marcel.

Then off to the Storage Unit to take the Hallowe'en decorations back. And another quick stop at the grocery store. And back home and time for a snack... nachos and salsa.

Only two more projects for the day... two more Shadow boxes to display two earlier art projects:
The Deconstructed Beach (8 vials containing: Sea Shells, Sea Weed, Sand, Ocean Water, Sea Glass, Sandstone Pebbles, Seagull Feathers and Driftwood). The 5 Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit).

I had to build an structure to go inside the Shadow Box, to support and center the 8 mini vials, and then cover that structure in textured paper as a back drop to the half filled vials, and the see-through water vial.  It went rather well and can'y help but think I'd be able to sell such a piece for a fair amount of money. Honestly, not to toot my own horn but I am pretty impressed with the completed look. 

The other Box (The Elements) was a bit of a disappointment and I'll have to re-do the supporting structure...  I mis-measured and the vials were not help snug and bounced round a bit and I cut the paper cover wrong... UGH! I guess I was getting tired and wasn't paying close enough attention.  

Ah well, At least now when I re-do it, I'll be able to do it quicker because now I know what I'm doing! lol  

All in all, a good day..  but golly, I'm exhausted!

#305 iMechanizaShawn

With Marcel out of the condo today (for his course) I was a bit or a Tasmanian Devil today.

I got up early, did some packing of Summer coats etc then went out at 10:45 and picked up a rental car for some errands...

-Went to Ikea for a couple of items: Frames, Candles and Christmas Wrapping Paper, Slippers, a small Side Table and a bonus Orchid.

- Went to Canadian Tire to pick up a Rubbermaid Garbage Can, because the neighbourhood Squirrels have been having nightly feasts on our back balcony. 

- Went to Michael's for some more frames and Shadow Boxes.

- Dropped all of that off at the house then took the Coats and a lamp to our Storage unit.

- Picked up our Winter coats from storage.

- Filled the gas tank in the car.

- Dropped off the Winter Coats at home.

- Returned the Car.

- Picked up some groceries for supper.

- Came home, put the groceries away and Got a bite to eat.

- Hung the coats and organized the front closet.

- Built the Ikea Side Table.

- Re-framed a piece of art, and framed another.

- Did a mass hanging of 6 pieces of art in the bedroom.

- Prepped for supper.

- Then finally sat down at 6 PM

I feel like I accomplished more today than I do in a week at work... mind you then I'm usually just picking up my Bosses mistakes, so...

All in all a good day.

Now wait for Marcel to get home, hear about his day, have supper and then relax!

#283 Autumnal Rest and RelaxaShawn

As regular as the Swallows returning to Capistrano, here we are at the Chalet on Lac Massawippi, in the Eastern Townships.

It's a long weekend; Thanksgiving Weekend to be precise. We may have missed the full brilliance of the Fall Colours by a couple of weeks, but there's still a lot of beauty about.

The weather will be on our side: Sunny with highs of 14'C and lows of 3'C. And to be truthful we love travelling the roads in the Townships. There's always something to see, places to go, things to do. We' NEVER be this active in the City! lol But in the Townships it's nice to just go out without a plan or an agenda... just let it be what it's gonna be.

Add into the deal a great meal out (for Marcel's Mother's Birthday) and even more delicious, our Thanksgiving Dinner.  Tack on some sleeping in, walks down dirt roads with the dogs and the sounds water lapping at the shore and of Geese flying sough for the Winter.

This is a recipe for a great weekend.

#271 Crafting ExploShawn

Today was a very crafty day for me.

Like yesterday I started off easy. Lounged about. Had some Toast and earl Grey Tea for breakfast, then tidied up.  Did a couple loads of laundry.  Walked the kids. Changed the bed.  And then I turned my attention to some crafting.

First I sorted through my supplies. Cleaned some new glass jars. And soaked and then re-dried some seaweed I collected from the beach on PEI. Then I sorted all our Sea Glass.  Large, Medium and small, plus two extra jars, one with the best pieces, and another of all the crockery. Once all that was done then I got to work on today's tasks..

From a project I did back earlier in the summer of the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) I added a fifth vial with a piece of cut mirror to represent Spirit.

Yesterday I bought a Baseball display box at Michael's to use for the huge Moon Snail I found this summer. It's basically as big as Santiago's head. and I'm glad I bought the larger of the two boxes, because it *just* fit in the one I got.  Today I put a teeny tiny shell I also collected under a miniature cloche. 

Then I made two matching pendant/amulets with the smallest vials I've ever seen. I filled them with Water I collected from the Beach on PEI.  This way, until we are back, we won''t ever be far from the Ocean. I'm a Pisces and Marcel is a Cancer, both Water Signs. So our connection to the sea is very strong.  This way no matter where we are, where we go, we will be close to the sea.  I hope he likes it.

And then I didn't one more conceptual piece.  In seven mini vials I put together a Deconstructed Beach.

Vial 1: Sand

Vial 2: Sea Water

Vial 3: Sea Shells

Vial 4:Sea Glass

Vial 5: Drift Wood

Vial 6: Sea Weed

Vial 7: Seagull Feathers

Everything was collected from our beach on PEI.  I'm not sure where I'll put it, but I kinda love it.

All of that and I still had time to go to the grocery store, and prep for tonight's Tuna, Lemon and Arugula Spaghetti. 

A full, but joyful and relaxing day. All ready looking forward to next weekend when we finally decorate for Hallowe'en. :-)

#178 DestinaShawn RelaxaShawn

We have arrived. 

The weather is perfect, as are the views.

Time to slow life down and enjoy the moment.

#137 Long Weekend PreparaShawns

We made a great dent into the unofficial first long weekend of Summer. Unofficial I say because Summer only begins on June 21st.  Today we:

- Stored all our Winter-ware

- Unpacked our Summer coats

- Got a new take of propane for Barbecurella (our BBQ)

- Picked up and marinated some amazing Lamb Chops to christen the new take of propane

- Purchased flowers for the patio flower boxes

- Purchased some fresh herbs for the Kitchen Windowsill Garden: Rosemary, Thyme and Bay Laurel (we already have a pot of Basil)

- Congratulated ourselves with a summer cocktail: Lemonade and Gin 

All we have left to do today is grill the lamb chops and enjoy the cool breezes of the evening.

Tomorrow we plant!

#116 Perfect Cottage RelaxaShawn

Knock wood, (today isn't over yet but) no Septic explosions!

We had a wondrously, amazingly relaxing day.

Slept in, had Fruit Loops for breakfast (a guilty pleasure) and then Marcel made the most delicious lunch for his Mom, Sister and the two of us. It was a belated Easter dinner, so we has a roast Ham, with roasted veg (rainbow carrots, rainbow potatoes and asparagus). It. Was. Delicious!

After that we sat down in the living room and had a belated Birthday cake for his Sister. It was her often requested cake: a Cola Chocolate cake. It's unbelievably good! And this is either the 3rd or 4th time we've made it for her birthday.

There's something to be said for the comfort and familiarity of a the same meals, at the same times of years. With the same people and the fame food.  It might sound lazy, but to me it's in itself a tradition that you develop over time and make your own with those you love. Why else go through with it?

Then this evening, we took it easy and had some pea soup and a sandwich with left-over ham.  It could not have capped off a more perfect, lazy cottage weekend day. 

And we still have a day and a half to go.

#103 Sunday laze, pre-spring cleaning haze, 80's ReflecShawn

Another lazy day, chez nous. 

It all started with sleeping in. Then, pancakes for breakfast. After, 3 1/2 hours of listening to 80's music while lounging, and putzing about. All the while the patio door was open with a gentle spring breeze coming in.

I decided to clean up my laptop. Deleted a couple thousand emails, deleted just under 28 GB of old files. All in prep of next weekend and some more actual spring cleaning...

I think I can only deal with one more week of the windows in the stat they are in, but with messy week's worth of weather in the forecast, I'll wait til it passes.  Next Saturday it's gonna look like we have no windows, (they'll be that clean!)  And then it'll be time to swap out our boots for shoes, and parkas for light weight jackets. And so it goes...

And, as it usually goes in Montreal, after 2 weeks of spring like weather, It'll be shorts and flip-flop weather.

And soon I'll be counting down Winter. :-)

#101 Necessary RelaxaShawn

Another week has come and gone.

Time to slip into some flannel pants and a t-shirt, open a couple beers, grill a couple of burgers, lean back on the sofa, (with the dogs by our sides), turn on Netflix and just ride the relaxing vibes until it's time to go to bed.

#031 RelaxaShawn

T.G.I.F.

It's been a long time since I had a week like this and I am SO GLAD it's over... well the 'work week' part at least. The weekend has just begun.

And this weekend is about 4 things: 

-relaxation

-sleeping in

-cuddling with the dogs

and

-watching Downton Abbey Season 4 with Marcel.

I would have hoped it would have been about 5 things, but the Irish Tin Whistle has yet to arrive. So four out of five will have to do. 

So it's time to kick back, relax and enjoy the next two days of nothing much more than pure joy.

...but for the record, I really, really, REALLY cannot wait for the Whistle!