13 Streets Where I've Lived

1. Desaulniers (Saint-Hyacinthe)
2. Tanguay (Sainte-Rosalie)
3. Ducène (Aylmer)
4. Joliette (Montréal)
5. Mondor (Saint-Hyacinthe)
6. Sainte-Catherine (Montréal)
7. Saint-Urbain (Montréal)
8. Barclay (Montréal)
9. Bourdages (Saint-Hyacinthe)
10. Demers (Saint-Hyacinthe)
11. Principale (Saint-Dominique)
12. Robert (Saint-Hyacinthe)
13. Dieppe! (Saint-Hyacinthe)

My Mess

I've invaded the dining room for a few days because of my sewing. This summer seems to be the summer of all quilts. The first one was done in a flash (2 days of cutting, 2 days of sewing) but it's clearly not the case with the second. Well, I only spend an hour or two a day on it, that slows down the process a little!

When I go by this mess, I don't get sick because of it. Before, I couldn't let myself leave my stuff all over the place. Miss "everything-must-be-put-away" kind of person. Now I can tell myself that this mess is justified, that it is my work station, a place to create, a nook for little pleasures. So I live within this mess (non permanent though) and I don't feel guilty, I don't feel I'm a bad mother giving the wrong example to her teenage daughters, I don't have the impression that I'm lazy for not cleaning up. I'm learning to appreciate mess, to analyze it and to even find it beautiful. Hummm, is it really me talking? :-)

Summer Vacations

I'm in the middle of my summer vacations and loving every minute of it. Been to the movies, read a little (more to come), swam in our pool, sewed a lot, took pictures, went to the restaurant with my loved ones, listened to great music and in 2 days will do arts 'n crafts with my dear friend Tanja.

And this morning, an envelope that clearly wasn't a bill nor junk... A few weeks ago I sent Cathy a CD with "musique québécoise" and she answered back with a lovely thank you card and this great other card.

I felt so good while preparing my surprise to her, I wasn't looking for anything in exchange but I did make a connection with someone living far from Québec and that's what is so precious to me. Those who say that Internet isolates us are missing the point... Internet can be a way of connecting to others in a different and interesting way. It's my summer "coup de coeur". Being nice to people (even if you don't really know them) is so much fun!

With a Little Umbrella

In our home, sweet home lives a 16 year-old (in 18 days) who just started her driving lessons. 16 is a big jump, a giant step because of that. So she's learning the meaning of all the road signs and is way more interested by what's happening to our feet while driving (learning to drive with a standard car seems to be "something"...). Well, mademoiselle is getting older. That's what happens to all of us everyday, but somehow, it seems that at times, in our life, it shows a little more.

She's helping out too. Tonight as we were getting ready for dinner, she agreed to prepare Claude a drink. A drink, a real one, with al-co-hol! She carefully followed the recipe (ice, lemon, coke, rhum -a little more, ok, that's fine, stop, that's plenty!). You can admire her creation, decorated with a nice little umbrella!

13 Movies I've Seen Up to Now, This Summer

I know, it's a lot, but I'm addicted!

There's a little bug here, though. I can't (really, I can't) go to my hometown cinema anymore. People chit chat, explain the movies out loud, read out loud what's written on the screen, eat candies and make lots of noise with their bags. And it doesn't get any better. Sorry folks, but I'm ashamed of being a Maskoutaine (a person living in St-Hyacinthe) some days...

1. Once (Wow, wow, wow)
2. Paris, je t'aime (Stories around the same theme: a success)
3. Evening (Touching)
4. Harry Potter et l'ordre du Phénix (Magical?!)
5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Not complicated)
6. Danny Ocean 13 (Ok)
7. Nitro (Lots of stuff going on...)
8. Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas (Wonderful theme song)
9. Je vous trouve très beau (Funny)
10. Ne le dis à personne (Thriller)
11. The Painted Veil (2 thumbs up)
12. Vis libre ou crève (Action, again and again)
13. and Hairspray (in less than an hour!)

Going Out Solo

I spent the afternoon and the evening at the movies. I saw Evening, Paris je t'aime and Once. Movies just like the ones I like with stories about girls, love, music. I spent a great time with myself :-)

Since I was downtown, I decided to make a quick stop at Urban Outfitters. Not for the clothes (not my style), but for the books. I always discover interesting stuff. I've finally found a Keri Smith book and I started reading it while eating my ceasar's salad at Guido and Angelina. And in the car, both ways, I had Rufus singing loudly, very loudly! It was the kind of day I love...

Eau la la

I envy my Mimi... She came back from her father's with a collage a few weeks ago and it's wonderful. I'm well too organized when I do collages while my little one (well, not so little, she's growing up and growing up!) can easily let go and creates spontaneous groupings that are fresher, more complex also. I absolutely need to work on that.

So I woke up this morning with a desire to cover our other TV blanket, but instead of the traditional quilt so calculated, with the colors so organized, I've decided to go bananas... A little... Hmm, we'll see about that. I should consult my daughters to know their trick :-)

13 Things To Eat This Summer

1. strawberries
2. raspberries
3. sandwiches made with Claude's garden tomatoes
4. corn on the cob (2 colors)
5. Dairy Queen's ice cream
6. birthday cake (Roxane, Alizée)
7. peaches
8. shrimp dip (with chili, sour cream, cream cheese, peppers, orange)
9. spicy steaks (or marinated pork fillets) cooked on the BBQ
10. whipped cream
11. bruschettas
12. vegetables cooked on the BBQ
13. radishes

Fabrics

Last week-end, I finally made the quilt I had planned on doing for a few years (years? really? my, my...). I had bought lots of fabrics of different shades of blue and the result is quite nice. I'll take pictures and put them on my flickr soon. As soon as I'm done with a sewing project, I have to start thinking about the next one. And I've got beautiful ideas. In order to make them come true, though, I had to go shopping for new fabrics. Oh no, not fabric shopping... :-) Yesssssss Mamma!

I love walking the aisles and discover different textures, varied colors, adorable patterns. I'm always looking for a treasure: forgotten fabrics, cheap ones, or those that are at the wrong place. You can see my latest acquisitions on the first picture, too cool, hey?

13 Reasons to Enjoy Summer

1. Going to bed really late (and wake up really late too!)
2. More time to sew, do arts and crafts, etc.
3. It's warm outside, no coats needed
4. Sleep with the windows open
5. Flowers everywhere
6. Vegetables and fruits taste better
7. Read for hours, outside
8. When it's too hot, we can get into the pool
9. Vacations
10. Going out solo, duo, trio or the whole family
11. My complexion has a healthier look, no need for make up
12. Cocktails
13. My skin is soft, no more dry skin...

Colors

I'm a color addict. I adore playing with them, organizing them, make packages or decors according to specific colors. Last Christmas I prepared those gifts for my daughters, the selected color: silver!

When I did the postcard swap organized by Andrea, I've played with my magazine multicolor scraps of paper (when I buy magazines, I tear them apart and recycle most of the parts for future arts & crafts). I made a few piles organizing them by colors: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, pink... One of those life little pleasures.

On Wikipedia, I discovered pages where they mention the different shades of colors (see at the bottom of the page). I know much more about colors now!