Iona Beach

This past Sunday, we visited Iona Beach Regional Park, not your typical park with the children's playground equipment, but a park that includes a four kilometre jetty which is really a giant sewage pipe that transports cleaned poo and pee back into the ocean. You see, the park is situated right beside the Iona Sewage Treatment Plant. Surprisingly the boys weren't too thrilled or impressed with the whole idea of walking on top of such a pipe, but they had fun throwing rocks into the ocean. They also had fun picking blackberries (especially the husband) and exploring the beach. D enjoyed beachcombing while R came up with some imaginary fun with the sand. K just wanted to eat all the blackberries and run into the ocean! We'll definitely come back to this unique park, as it is also a great place to ride your bike, walk, go birding (as it is home to over 300 species of birds) and watch the planes land and take off (as the Vancouver International Airport is situated right next to the park).

What We Did After School Yesterday

Not too far from our home is a favourite spot of mine in the city, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. So... since I had a day off from work yesterday, I decided that it would be a good day to go on a special after school outing. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens is not a big garden like the Van Dusen Gardens, but it's big enough for encountering and exploring interesting plant life, pond life, and just wildlife in the urban setting. It's a nice change from the playgrounds and city parks. The boys enjoyed spotting the koi fish and turtles near the surface of the pond, analyzing the bamboo, seeing a blue heron in the weeping willow tree, and just being in such a beautiful, peaceful place amongst so many people in the middle of the city. I also don't think my three minded the short walk to the Chinese bakery nearby either, which also involved passing many toy and gift shops along Pender. We'll definitely have to make this outing a more regular part of our activities!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Happy Hallowe'en Everyone!

The forecast is for rain today, but it's been a beautiful sunny fall day here so far... We'll be doing a little decorating today, carving some of the four plus pumpkins that we have around the house, roasting some of the seeds, and going a trick or treating! The boys are pirate brothers this year. One of them was going to be a "DJ", but changed his mind last minute. Don't ask. I have no idea why the five-year-old wanted to be a "DJ".

Looking at Trees

It was back to Van Dusen this past weekend to look at the trees! It was a glorious day to take in colors, feel bark, see wildlife and herons flying overhead, explore trees using a mirror and make leaf rubbings.

The Magic of Fall at VanDusen

This past Sunday, the boys and I, along with K in the baby carrier, took in some gorgeous autumn colours at the beautiful VanDusen Botanical Gardens. We were lucky to participate in the family program, Plant Detectives: Seeds and Leaves. Although we've visited the Gardens in the past for Seedy Saturday and their annual Garden Plant Sale, it was D & R's first "real" trip INTO VanDusen, an educational garden where they learned how seeds travelled and how and why leaves changed colours at this magical time of year. The boys had the chance to explore and run around the 55-acre Gardens, and I'm happy to report that they had a great time, asking to return as soon as possible! VanDusen is a must-see, inspirational place with an amazing collection of plants and trees, animals, ponds, a maze, a waterfall, and a host of passionate educators for young and old alike! We can't wait to go back for our next visit!


On a scavenger hunt for seeds

Looking for "swimmer" seeds

Summer 2009 So Far...

The past two weeks have been exciting and busy with a big visit from family overseas. My brothers, sister-in-law, and 14-month old twins, A and Z arrived just as the second (or is it the third?) heat wave hit Vancouver, so there were lots of outings that involved playing with water to cool down. We became tourists within our own city, visiting Stanley Park on more than one occasion--once to the water park and another to Second Beach Pool--one of the best places for family-friendly fun! Our local haunts, Trout Lake and Robson Park, were also well visited.

Stanley Park Water Park
cooling down in Trout Lake
cousins at play
nothing like sand to spark imagination
some r & r at Robson Park Pool

However, that's not to say that playing with fiber was forgotten.... I was actually forced to dig out and dust off the Ashford Traditional to be able to spin my July fiber, Summer Twilight from sweetgeorgia. My bobbin-lead Louet S10 kept breaking my spun singles with its overly aggressive "takeup" onto the bobbin, so I had to switch wheels. It was getting frustrating trying to spin thin on the Louet, and there was no way I was going to waste any more of my new yummy panda fiber (a blend of superwash merino, bamboo, and nylon) that I was aiming to spin in fingering weight.

So after a visit to Birkeland Brothers to purchase some extra bobbins, I'm now enjoying spinning on a wheel with Scotch tension, one with a lot gentler "takeup". I can spin a lot thinner and easier without the stress of breaking the single when joining fiber. Sometimes I wonder why I waited so long to use this wheel. It's a great wheel for a fairly new spinner, like me! Some photos will be posted as soon as I fill up a bobbin or two....

K is now 5 months!

In other exciting news, K is now well into her fifth month in this world! See how our sweet-natured, easy-going baby girl has grown! She's almost rolling over on her own and has the most deadly strong grip! K's exercising her legs as well, and goes into the Jolly Jumper at least once a day. It's never too early to start training when there are two competitive brothers to keep up with!

Out and About

As the weather gets warmer and the days become sunnier, we've been trying to get out more-- to nearby parks, playgrounds, and even just our own backyard. In recent days, we've had the bikes out in the park and in the alley behind our house. The bubble wands and various bubble blowers have all been pretty popular on the back deck too. I'd really like to get out into the garden to attack the weeds, but these days, knitting always seems to win out as the more comforting activity after nursing baby.

And I finally took the time to start something for me -- a Liesl! I know, I said I wouldn't start any more new projects, but I've been meaning to try one of Ysolda's designs for some time now, as many of her designs are in my faves on Ravelry. Besides, I am using up stash yarn as justification. As many others have mentioned on Ravelry, this pattern is really very well written and easy to follow. I'm enjoying it so far and can't wait for it to be done and possibly modelled for you (if I'm up to it). If only I had more hours and stamina in the day...

Our first MEC Paddlefest

We had a perfect day to try paddling at Ambleside Park this past Sunday. Mountain Equipment Co-op put on some great water clinics with Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak at Paddlefest for kids and adults. D had a great time trying something new despite being the youngest and most inexperienced. He didn't even complain or get upset when he had trouble manoeuvering the kayak to keep up with his group. The teachers were great and everyone seemed passionate about helping one another learn more about the paddle sports.


After the clinic, D told me he'd like to try kayaking again. This is exciting to know. We're glad D isn't too easily discouraged by being thrown into a completely new experience. He's such a good sport!

This guy, on the other hand, was too young to try kayaking, but was quite content blowing bubbles on the beach and having the comfort of his favourite cookbook (yes, you read right, his fave cupcake cookbook) nearby!

Where Did June Go?

It's hard to believe today is the last day of June and it's become hot watermelon- thirst-quenching weather here in Vancouver. The boys have even started sleeping out on the deck in the family tent. June seems to be a blur now, which I only remember as a lot of frenzied planning for the boys' summer activities, the parties laden with sugar wrapping up the school year and the annual late spring activities, namely, strawberry picking and D's birthday planning!



I finally finished the Baby Surprise Jacket in Noro Kureyon. Don't you just love how it turned out?!!! I almost chose wooden buttons for the jacket to give it a rustic flavour, but opted for the classier shell buttons. Like so many others who've knit this jacket, I love the ingenuity of the pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann. However, I do have to note that the original pattern was seriously confusing to me. If it weren't for Dawn Adcock's super helpful notes here, I may have scrapped this project.

I bribed my youngest to model the sweater, but decided against it, since the jacket was too small for him. Taking photos would have been an injustice to R and the sweater. It looks like Ava will be the lucky recipient of the jacket when she comes for a visit this summer from HK with Zach and the family. I can't wait to meet and play with newborn twins!

Highlights of Long Weekend Sunday

The long awaited weekend for me (two days off!) arrived along with beautiful hot sunny weather, and I did my best to fill it up with some fun activities for both myself and the boys. Sunday started off with a pancake breakfast at home and a good sweaty workout at the gym. After coming home to shower up, we got the boys ready to go to our current favourite dim sum restaurant on Main and 30 something where the seafood dumplings are super plump and delicious.


D loves these dumplings and has been asking for them for over a week. It's just hilarious that he likes only the dumpling wrapper and passes the filling along to me or his "Papa". After a late lunch, we headed over to the eclectic Ruby Dog Arts to poke around as it was only up the street. Nothing new in the store, but D and R came home with a new blank book and some glass "treasures".

Next was a trip to Granville Island where it was opening weekend for the water park. D had a blast, made many friends and got out some cooped-up energy running around the entire water park area. Too bad R needed a nap at the time, but he did wake up to some "sliding" time at the playground. R could've gone to the water park too, but he just wasn't into getting wet, which just goes to show how different the two boys can be. It took some coaxing to leave the playground, but we did it, and by that time, we were way too tired to even drag our crew into the market for dinner ideas. So that was our jam-packed, no-time-for knitting-or-crafting Sunday!

Ready to Ride a Two-Wheeler

D finally agreed to take off the training wheels of his bike to practise riding on two wheels this past weekend. It only took several tries with his papa holding him at first and then letting him go down the gravel path or grassy areas of Trout Lake. In no time, he was cycling around the lake without any help at all. Me, I stayed with R, who played in the playground and then pedalled to the beach in his tricycle. We all met up a little later at the beach where R insisted on hamming it up for the camera every time I wanted a more serious brotherly shot of the two of them. Good on ya' for finally letting go of those training wheels, D!!! We celebrated with some ice-cream afterwards.

Sun Run Day

It was Sun Run Day here in Vancouver, and not only was I grateful for amazing sunny day weather (after snow on Friday night), but for finishing the 10K without feeling like I had to drag my entire body across the finish line this year. Although I didn't officially "train" this year, I have been hitting the gym regularly for the past four weeks and consciously trying to get in more sleep. This annual event is one that I've tried to keep up since the 90's and pre-kids. Now that we've had kids, I think I've only skipped the year R was born, and the year afterwards. D has been doing the Mini Sun Run since he was three years old, a fact of which he is proud. R, on the other hand, looks at us like we're crazy and prefers to watch the rest of us do all the work from his stroller seat. This year is the first where I did the Mini Sun Run (2.5K) with the family and then headed up to Georgia Street to do the 10K while Dad looked after the boys in the stadium. It was very "do-able" as it only took less than half an hour to complete the kids' run which started at 8am. The timed Sun Run did not start until 9am, and my group did not cross the start line until well after 9:30am. It was another record attendance year (close to 60, 000 participants, I heard), making the Sun Run the second-largest timed 10K race in the world and third-biggest timed race on the planet for any distance. How cool is that to be a part of such a big community event!

So, here's the Artsy Clutch that I recently completed from Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing book. I used cotton fabric that I purchased at IKEA for the exterior and some leftover cherry blossom cotton print for the lining. This is a very cute, practical pattern that I'll probably be using again very soon.


And finally, another reversible fabric headband that I made this afternoon in a silk print on one side, and cotton/linen on the other side in three colors: brown, soft red, and light purple. This pattern worked out much better for my head after narrowing the width by 1cm. I'll definitely be making more of these too!

Exciting Times

One of us is learning to take photos.

Another is learning to write.

And Mama is producing finished objects! See here..... it's Julsey's Reversible Winter Capelet knit in Elann's Peruvian Highland Bulky. This was a fun, quick knit despite having to rip out eight rows twice from being distracted at D's entertaining Purple Dragon/karate class and making mistakes in the raglan increases. And if you can believe it, I ran out of yarn while binding off the last sleeve! I had to order one more skein from elann just to finish this project! Who'd a thought I'd be just short a yard or two???!?

Here are the project specs:
Reversible Winter Capelet--size S-M
Yarn: elann's Peruvian Highland Bulky in Coffee Bean Brown
Skeins used: 5
Needles: 8mm circs (80cm)
Gauge: 12sts
Mods: Shortened sleeves by a row on each side to conserve yarn, but just couldn't do it to complete project without having to order that fifth skein!....F*x%k!