out of season

Bonjour mes amis
We are in Montreal and searching for a place to live. I do believe we have narrowed it down and will be putting cash on the table this afternoon.

Last night Daryl and I were craving gelato. With 2 stores near by we thought we were in luck. We walked into the first resto and were greeted by a jolly fellow. Table for 2? No just gelato tonight, pointing at the freezer of brightly colored gelato. He shakes his head and remarks that it is out of season. With obvious looks of disappointment on our faces he tried to steer us towards a piece of cake. Although they looked delicious we declined and walked toward the next cafe. With eager anticipation we approached the freezer and saw that the cooler was covered with cardboard boxes. We inquired about the gelato and she also said that it was out of season.

Daryl and I were befuddled by this discovery that gelato can be out of season. I guess Jerrys in Saskatoon has not received the memo that gelato has an in season.

Checked baggage

A year of change, uncertainty and adventure awaits. Je suis excite et nerveux. My mom chuckled at me this past week as I practiced expressing my feelings en francais.

What does one pack for a year long adventure? What luxury items does one bring and what do you need to let go of and leave behind? This is not an easy task. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that I love purging and organizing. I thought I kept up this fairly well in my own home, until I started packing. I have accumulated a lot of stuff in the last four years. I was a bit disgusted with myself. Upon our return, there will be a great purging going on.

My luxury items and necessities: Nespresso milk frother. Check. French-English dictionary. Check. Pink puffy. Check. Sewing machine...I had my sewing machine packed in one of the 6 suitcases that we are bringing but my mom talked me out of it. She figured I would be able to rent one when the mood struck. Daryl did a google search and confirmed that a sewing machine would not be difficult to come by. Out came the machine. Not sure how much quilting I will get done this year, but I will enjoy making chai lattes.

Whether I am quilting or out adventuring, I will keep you all up to date.

Off to Montreal we go.

Scientific Method

Recently I came across a blog "It's Okay to be Smart". It has quirky articles, interesting illustrations, amazing pictures, and fascinating facts. This basically describes one of my nephews who will be celebrating his birthday this month. He is quirky, interesting, amazing, and fascinating. Common discussions with him include how would gravity work on a square planet?, where would be the best place to build your house on a square planet?, what kind of rock would be the best type of rock to create rock people?, what's your favorite element?

When thinking about his quilt, I knew that I had to stick to a science theme. What boy is not fascinated with explosions and danger? With that in mind, I decided to applique hazard symbols on it. I love how they turned out.

I watched a clip on the above mentioned blog based on the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment about delaying gratification. As I watched the kids struggle with the decision to eat the one marshmallow immediately or wait for the researcher to come back in order to receive a second marshmallow, I chuckled as I watched them agonize. This reminds me of a conversations that my nephew and I had with several other family members about empathy. Watch the clip and see what your reaction is.

Throw caution to the wind quilt 2007

One of my favourite pics of my nephew (left) and my husband 2012