What is in your closet?

A closet can be a veritable treasure trove of unseen items. I remember making my way to my parents walk-in closet via the "secret" hallway for hide-and-seek. There were many great places to hide and so many things to look at. In their closet you could find the Halloween dress up box, Dad's skinny red pants that he wore in his 20's, Christmas decorations, porcelain dolls, and around Christmas, somewhere in there, I always hoped that I would catch a glimpse of my gift (which I found out much later in life that they were hidden in the attic).

Closets are also great places for hiding unfinished projects and odds and sods, or rather, those things in your life that you are not ready to part with or deal with, and so, to the back of the closet they go.

We recently purchased an IKEA PAX closet system to organize and hide our treasures. It only took us 5 years to decide what type of closet system to get, but it was worth the wait. How great it is to have a space to hang the sleeping bags and to put Daryl's instrument cases.

My suitcase of fabric.

A few months ago I was helping a friend sort and pack for a move.What did her closet reveal? A large stack of fabric and unfinished quilts. She inquired whether I wanted the fabric, which I quickly replied, "No". I work very hard at keeping my fabric intake in check. I did offer to finish any unfinished quilts. I came home with 6 in various stages. Some just needed a boarder added, some needed to be sewn together, but all of them were cut out and ready to assemble. This week I wandered down to Unique Textiles to purchase the batting and fabric for binding. I am now set. Next step, to carve out a little time to sit and quilt in between playing, feeding, and comforting my baby boy.

Project 1

project 2

Motherboy

Valancie & Hibou

Did your parents ever dress you and your siblings in matching outfits? I am not certain how old I was, but on one of our family vacations out west to visit Grandma, my mom sewed us all matching striped T-shirts. By all of us, I mean Mom, Dad, my 2 brothers and myself. I guess the rationale was that we would be visible in a crowd. "I wonder where Dad is? Oh, there he is. We are wearing the same outfit. Perhaps I should stay in the Flinstone car and nobody will notice..." Of course they will notice because we all looked so cute as a family all matchy, matchy. Secretly, I love wearing coordinating outfits.

When does wearing matching outfits become inappropriate and awkward? The other day when I put on my striped sweater, I thought, "Wouldn't it be cute if Hibou was wearing his striped outfit too". When I asked Daryl to take a picture, he commented that it would be our first Motherboy contest entry. If any of you have watched Arrested Development, you will know what he was talking about. Motherboy was a dinner dance organized to promote mother/son bonding. How many years do I get before Hibou starts to protest and refuse to wear matching outfits? I suspect not many, but perhaps I will make the most of it while I can.

Who will win the coveted "Cutest Couple" this year? You can watch Motherboy XXX on NetFlix (season 2 episode 13)

If you see me in 30 years and we are wearing matching track suits, please stop me and tell me that I have taken it too far.

Fembot

The joys of parenting has the added balance of the anxieties of parenting. Our petit hibou was born in December. He is nothing short of adorable.

The first week we brought him home, we thought we were all doing good, until the public health nurse came to check in on us. Hibou was losing weight, which is normal for newborns, but he had lost more than the acceptable amount. The nurse recommended that we rent a breast pump and start supplementing him. New parents will do anything for their precious little one. Daryl went out like a dutiful husband and dad to bring home a pump.


Although a breast pump is a useful piece of equipment, it is not sexy. The first time I used it double barrel style, I thought of the fembots in Austin Powers. Now, they are sexy and dangerous, I am only comely and vulnerable. Be as it may, double barreled pumping is my lot in life these days.

Medela "Fembot"

Mr. Owl

Snowy owl. Burrowing owl. Great horned owl. Barn owl. Screech owl. 

"Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?" Who remembers this commercial during Saturday morning cartoons? A couple months ago I quoted it to D and he had no recollection of it. He said that it must have only been on the American channels when we were growing up. Regardless, I had a fond memory of it and started to wonder how our society pegged the owl as wise.

A quick google search revealed that historically, the owl is either revered or feared. Owls in Lore and Culture is a good read. Focusing on the positives, the owl has been linked to the Greek goddess Athene, known for her wisdom. The owl's nocturnal nature is associated with the vigilance of a studious scholar. The Sioux First Nations admired the snowy owl, which represented bravery. 

Yesterday I finished Hibou's quilt. The Hooty Hoot Returns fabric is from Riley Blake Designs. The orange "jacks" fabric makes me smile. When I found it at the only quilting store in Montreal, Effiloche, I knew immediately that it would tie the whole quilt together. When I finished the back of the quilt, I realized that it reminded me of the sky and the earth. I hope that Hibou enjoys being out in nature as much as we do.

I am looking forward to meeting our petit hibou. Will Hibou be known for vigilance, bravery, and wisdom? Only time will tell.

Hibou quilt 2013

Mon préféré

There are a few quilted items that I have created over the past several years that I could not bear to give away because I  loved the pattern, the colour, or the finished product so much. This is one of them.

When a friend would have a baby, I would often pull out this receiving blanket and debate whether or not to give it away. Over the past several years, thinking that we would not have a child ourselves, I thought that it would eventually go to one of my nephew's or niece's's first born. That is a bit weird to think about...

Anyway, the blanket will now be hibou's. We may not have a baby room set up or all the essentials put in place yet, but I can swaddle hibou in my favorite blanket.

Unbroken

The book Unbroken is being released as a movie Christmas day. I felt that this post was worth re-posting  since it profoundly moved my spirit. Once again, I highly recommend reading this book. The story of Zamperini reflects the hope that we seek at Christmas time.

During the last several months I have read several WW2 stories about survival, resistance, and perseverance. The first book that hooked me was Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff followed by Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas, and then Lost in Shangri-La, also written by Mitchell Zuckoff.

None has affected me so profoundly as the book that I just finished reading. Now, I am not one to write book reviews, this really won't be a review per se, but Unbroken: A World War II story about Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand moved me. It was inspirational, gripping, tragic, heartbreaking, and sobering.

As I read the life story of Louie Zamperini my heart ached for him and his family. At one point in the book, I paused and stated to Daryl that I could not understand why this book was titled Unbroken. As I read on, I was moved to tears.

After being stranded aboard a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days, Zamperini became a prisoner of war in Japan. He suffered under the cruel hand of men during a dark time in our history. As he lay in a prison cell, separated from his friend and comrade, he realized that his will to live was lost because he was being stripped of his dignity.

"The guards sought to deprive them [Zamperini & Phillips] of something that had sustained them as all else had been lost: dignity. This self respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at the heart of humanness; to be deprived of it is to be dehumanized, to be cleaved from and cast below mankind...without dignity identity is erased. In its absence, men are defined not by themselves, but by their captors and the circumstances in which they are forced to live...Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man's soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it."

 Laura Hillenbrand-Unbroken

As I read this passage, I thought of Canada's long history of abuses towards the First Nations people. What is my call to action? How do I respond to the Idle No More movement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission? I have much to think about.

There is more that I can write about. How do we as a nation support our military coming home from war? How do we love our enemies as Christ instructs us to? How do we come to terms with God in the midst of suffering and abuse? How does faith transform a person so completely? As I let these questions roll through my thoughts, I encourage you to read this book.

Unbroken is a testament of the human spirit's ability to endure much and furthermore, forgive much.

Reflections

I am soaking in the last few weeks of life in Montreal. The stunning fall colours of red, yellow, and orange are quilting their way across Mont Royal. With each passing day, there are more leaves on the ground reminding me that a new season is about to begin. The tree in front of our condo is nearly bare.

There is something quite satisfying about closing up shop and moving on. Although there is some sadness and mourning that must go on, I feel a sense of accomplishment and completion as well. Yesterday for example, I was making some cream cheese icing and I had exactly the right amount of icing sugar to make it. I rinsed the bag and tossed it in the recycle bin with such delight. Another thing that I do not need to concern myself with when I pack up the last of my bags.

This past week we also cashed in a gift of a scooter rental. If being on a scooter doesn't make you smile, there is need for re-evaluation in life. It was an ideal fall day, where the sun was shining and warm with only a slight breeze. We drove along the Lachine canal and stopped at a park for a lovely walk. On our return journey we followed the boulevard along the St. Lawrence River and stopped at the Lachine rapids. It is a wonder that the voyageurs and ships even attempted to navigate these waters. Necessity and the spirit of adventure spurred them on.

This coming week I am taking a one day pastry course to learn how to make eclairs from renowned French pastry chef Christian Faure. How much more French does it get?

Not quite sure what else the next few weeks will bring, we intend to continue to enjoy the moments that we have here. Although I am feeling very inadequate for this next adventure that I am about to embark on, I am hoping that the experiences and lessons I have learned during my time in Montreal will carry through.