13 Short-term Projects

1. Blog a little more often
2. Transfer stuff from my old laptop to my new computer (yay!)
3. Sew a birthday gift for a friend who lives far away
4. Continue to work on my website (monRendez-vous.qc.ca), online August 1st!
5. Finish Mateo's quilt
6. Work on my postcards for the swap
7. Ride my bike
8. Buy The Lost Fingers CD
9. Read in my bed, in the morning (laziness, you are a good friend...)
10. Cook an onion tart (miam) and it it with pleasure
11. Be nice and loving to Claude (wishing he'll make me chocolate cupcakes, whoopie pies...)
12. Take care of my garden
13. Enjoy every moment of my long summer vacation...

13 Things to Do When It's Your Daughter's Prom

1. Wake up the star of the day and get ready to leave
2. Go with Alizée to the hairstylist to make sure she will not come back with a «poodle on the head» hairdo
3. Eat at the restaurant with her
4. Go with Alizée to the beautician to make sure she will not come back as Barbie Superstar
5. Go with Alizée to pre-prom at one of her friends for photos
6. Take loads of pictures (sharing will follow on flickr...)
7. Drive Alizée & friends for their prom entrance (theatrical concept...)
8. Take more pictures (sharing will follow on flickr...)
9. Go back home and wait for her phone call (around midnight?)
10. Go get Alizée & friends at the prom
11. Drive Alizée & friends to the party (after-prom)
12. Go back home and wait for her phone call (during the night? early morning?)
13. Go get Alizée (& friends?) after the party (it's probably Claude who will go, 'cause I'll be at Craftmafia tomorrow, from 11:00 to 18:00, 5036 St-Dominique. Welcome to you all :-)

13 Sweet Weekend Things

1. Sleep late in the morning
2. Go to bed veeeeeery late at night
3. Eat at odd hours
4. Have time to do the things I enjoy doing
5. Do nothing and not feeling guilty about it
6. Not thinking about work
7. Take out my sewing stuff (Craftmania is just around the corner!)
8. Read (in my bed, on the patio)
9. Tidy a little in my house
10. Spend time with hubby
11. Slow down
12. Go the movies (maybe...)
13. Go to the restaurant (surely...)

Sighs...

http://lesophie.blogspot.com/2008/06/bathroom-mirror.html

This is my new desktop background.
To remember what I really want in my life.
Soon.
Because time flies.
Too rapidly.
Because it is true.
That we must do what we love for a living.
That it is NEVER too late.
Still, why wait?
Voilà.

Yeah, She Did It Again!

My postcards from last summer...

Yesss, Andrea decided to organize another postcard swap. A must to welcome summer with all due respect. Like last year, the theme is: summer! I already planned my evening, tomorrow to find my concept (my favorite part of the process) with my favorite artistic partner and her lovely son, our official mascot for this year postcard swap :-)

Feeling tempted? Just write an email to Andrea so she knows you're interested and get ready to make around fifteen summer postcards. Andrea will send you a list of addresses, your new web friends (not even a joke, that's how I got to know Ani, Cathy, Nina, Emily... Which led me to the discovery of other really cool blogs!).

Can't tell you enough how great it is to receive something else besides bills and junk via my mailbox... It is so much fun that now, I make more postcards that I send to my friends, just to say hello, fun included, smile guaranteed!

13 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 41, Update...

1. Go to Las Vegas (leaving very soon!)2. Learn how to knit mittens and/or a tuque (done a mitten with no thumb:-)
3. Make a quilt for Mateo (who was born a week ago) (almost finished, really)
4. Go on a romantic weekend in Orford (and it was soooo relaxing)
5. Participate in Emily's green week (yes ma'am)
6. Play the piano at least once a week (even more the last few weeks, I practise my duet with Miranda, the piano recital is this Sunday!)
7. Decorate the dining room for Claude's birthday (oops, bad timing, I'll do a better job next year, promise)
8. Plan our summer vacations (Vancouver + Seattle) ( not planned, but we're going to Seattle all right)
9. Finish the document I'm writing for work (I just sent the first copy to revision, hurray!)
10. Make progress in my project with Tanja (we are very busy with other important projects right now, surely later...)
11. Lose some weight (at least a little...) (postponed again...)
12. Continue to save money (we never know...) (so proud of myself)
13. Make a very important professional choice (yay!)

13 Things About My Day...

1. I found Amy Butler's fabrics at Effiloché on Plaza St-Hubert in Montreal.
2. Incredible! My three favorite authors have released a new book recently: Anna Gavalda, Alexandre Jardin and Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (bought them, couldn't resist...).
3. The flowers in the trees smell so good (lilac and others).
4. I prepared something delicious for dinner, I do not cook usually: pasta with pil-pil shrimps.
5. I went for ice cream at our new spot, with Alizée.
6. Alizée came with me to do the grocery (thanks for your support, darling!).
7. All my chores are done (grocery, laundry, ironing, vacuum, dusting), I'm free for the long weekend :-)
8. I just put away my office stuff to make room for my sewing stuff.
9. I'm still waiting for some news from my dear friend Tanja (how are you sweetie?).
10. I watched Finding Neverland while I did the ironing ( I was a bit behind: approximately fifteen blouses and shirts to do...).
11. I installed the phone (couldn't hear anything with the old one) and it works fine.
12. Hubby called me from his daughter's brand new home.
13. I still can't believe I was interviewed for the radio (It's in French though, click on the Creacamp interview, bottom of the page).

We're Waiting For You!

Baby Mateo, we're waiting for you here! Your mom is eager to finally see your little face and she's not the only one. This week's Thursday Love is the blog she decided to create to talk about you, share her new life...

Sweetie, I sent you positive energy all day long, can't wait to have some news!

Art, Everywhere

Look around you, there is art here. Here and there as well. The beauty of all things natural make me go bananas more and more, I «force» myself to stop to admire what is surrounding me.

Time is luxury in my busy life and I am spending it doing important stuff. So everyday, I walk around my house to look at my flowers (daffodils, tulips and other perennials appearing here and there), my mature trees, I listen to the birds and admire the lawn that is getting greener everyday.

Discovered through Whip Up, these photos inspired me to do ephemeral art, in the nature. I'm thinking about it and I'll keep you posted!

Leaf circle

Squiggle

13 Happy Moments of My Day

What a wonderful day, don't you think? The sun, the cute little birds and... it's Friday! Hurray, hurray! I'm celebrating the beginning of the weekend -which is starting right now- by doing my list of «13», abandoned for a while (work-work, computer crash, spring cold, etc.).

1. My oldest daughter spent the day making a movie with four of her very nice friends (hi Jacinthe, Liliane, Mélissa et Marie-Hélène!). Working with non-stop laughters and giggles is the best!
2. I'm presenting tomorrow at Creacamp, I am not ready and I do not panic. Way to go! Not to worry, I'll still be ready on time...
3. Go out for lunch and meet a former colleague with whom I ate and chatted for a while (hi Monique, t'was very enjoyable!).
4. Phone call from a neighbor who wants to give me some perennials (hi Louise!).
5. Give my love a ride (hi Claude) to the garage, so he could get his car back.
6. Drive with the window down.
7. Work like a beast (so efficient today).
8. Dress like a girl who works from home (FULL relax).
9. Receive a moving letter (little «homework» to do).
10. Since it's Friday evening, we're going to the restaurant! (I know, I know, two restaurants today...)
11. Listen to great music while working. Right now, it's Yael Naim singing «Pachad».
12. Alizée got great news: she found a summer job!
13. (Keeping the best 'til last) It's weekend time! Party :-)

My Own Company

About 8-9 years ago, while I was teaching English as a second language, I had the idea of having my grade 6 students to get involved into a young entrepreneurs project.

They had to prepare a marketing plan, keep a budget, write a logbook, submit a final report and of course, produce some stuff to sell. It started quite small, but year after year, it became bigger... and bigger... Students from the previous years were talking about what they would do when they'd be in grade 6...

I don't teach anymore but «My Own Company» is still there. This year, my sweet Miranda and her friends sewed bags made of old pairs of jeans, cooked sweet snacks, decorated frames, made necklaces. Each company had their booth in the school gym. I like that there's still a little bit of myself and that my idea has aged well :-)

Stuck...

Well.

Tough week.

Very.

I miss blogging.

But I'm busy, busy, busy.

A busy bee.

And then, this afternoon, without any warning, my hard disk, well, died.

It's in the freezer (last attempt to save it).

My last backup?

April 4th.

I'm trying to figure out what I've lost.

Just before the drama, I'd printed my big document (30 pages), the one I've been working on extensively for a while.

It was my only copy.

In a way, I was lucky.

That's a start.

Ok now, bedtime.

Tomorrow's gonna be better.

Way better.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. 

I am so zen right now...

Fringe Bazaar 2008

I will SO be there to sell my stuff!

A Song in My Head

Does it happen to you that you hear a song in your head and feel the need to dance? Or you hear a song (for real this time) and without realizing it, your body starts moving, grooving, bopping, jigging even? If yes, you will understand how this man feels.

After watching this video with my 12 year-old teenager, we transformed my home office into a dance floor and hammered the floor on my 16 year-old teenager's head (who was quiet in the basement). I LOVE dancing, I'd danced everyday. In fact, I think I dance everyday, but I don't always realize it, I often have a song in my head...

My Daughter's Prom

That's it, we're done. Done with the shopping for my daughter Alizée's prom. After discussing it, we decided to go easy on the amount to spend on the kit, the prom is an important rite of passage, but there's no need to spend like crazy. We are definitely on a saving mood these days, a good thing considering some of our future projects. And the mood has spread to the girls, which is great. My daughters know how to manage their money well and the idea of saving is fine as well. Thank God... I've had so much trouble dealing with money at one point in my life, I made it a priority in the education of my daughters and I can see it's going well. Marvelous...

Going back to the prom kit, another great thing: we found everything in less than an hour, probably a record here! First boutique, we found the dress (2 out of 5 suited her fine, she even had to make a choice) at a very reasonable price and just out of the boutique, we found the purse (60% off). We stopped by for shoes (we had selected a store where shoes are cheap), bought a shawl to cover her shoulders in case it gets colder in the evening (which either she or I will wear after the prom) and got very simple (and not expensive) jewels. All for less than the average cost of my daughter's friends dress. Good job!

When I finished high school, our prom was not a big deal, I didn't even go and I don't regret it. When I finished university I went. I was the only one without a date and the only one wearing pants.

For Alizée, it will be completely different: she spent 5 years in an all-girl school where her group of friends is made of 17 girls. She is involved in many varied activities, she adores her school, she will certainly cry when it will be the end. Until then, she enjoys every moment, she participates, she's involved again and again, she's creating imperishable souvenirs. With the help of technologies (and being herself a cinema and photography addict), she has gathered long hours of filming, hundreds of photos to remember the fun she had, her friends, the pleasure of being a teenager. Lucky girl...

13 Pairs of Shoes

I bought something yesterday: red shoes!

It inspired me for my Friday list of 13. So here are the shoes from my wardrobe. Some are okay, some had a long life. I'm not really a «shoe person»: my feet are so narrow, finding a pair that fits is tough...

1.

Here are my little red shoes. My Dorothy shoes. Weird thing, I usually wear size 8 and then, bang, I had to switch to 7 1/2. Are my feet shrinking? Even the sole is pretty!

2.

Very old shoes, not very feminine, I agree. Very comfortable though and Amélie Poulain wears an identical pair, with skirts. I don't know if I'll dare one day...

3.

My little ballerina shoes. Very, very comfortable even for long walks. As soon as the weather gets warmer (when socks won't be necessary), they become my indoor shoes.

4.

THE pair of high-heeled shoes. I'd love to wear high heels, something ultra feminine. Can't. With ultra narrow feet like mine, it is out of question, since I'm always a little (sometimes a lot too) loose in them... *Sigh*. So what about these shoes? Well, I've worn them 3 times max. They still hurt me (see the band-aids inside?)...

5.

My wardrobe's shame. Dirty old beach shoes, a bit disgusting that I'm keeping them anyway. Want to know why? For gardening, they're the best: they don't fear dirt, soil, mud and all... And when it gets too hot or when pebbles find a way between my toes, I just throw them in the air. Whippee!

6.
Black loafers. Nothing special, right? Well, they belong to my oldest daughter (who has taller feet), but I like them, they're comfy. A little too large, but still...
7.

My walking shoes! They've seen many sidewalks: Boston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Paris, Montréal (many, many times)... Gotta go get new laces before going to Las Vegas in May!

8.
My «working» shoes, those I wear with my «serious» clothes!
9.

Well, sandals. Not nice, not really comfortable. Might be their last summer under my roof.

10.
My sneakers, I love them. Well laced, it's the ultimate comfort for me. They too have traveled quite a lot...
11.
Yes, yes, I still have Kickers! Shoes that remind me of my adolescence. Too large, but I'm used to them and since they are everything but high-heeled, I can manage.
12.
My indoor shoes when I wear socks. Can't wait to put them in the wardrobe for the summer!
13.

Bought these last summer. I smile a lot when I wear them, they make me feel special, funky (which I'm not, especially when it comes to clothes).

I Can Do It

Well, hey, oh! I can so do it, right? Thanks Noëlla my lovely mother-in-law whomI like so much and who showed me how to knit in circle. No laughing allowed, it is not a simple concept to get! Knit in circle with 5 needles going in all directions wanting to let go those nice little stitches, try this and then we'll talk about it... I know, I know, it's not that difficult once you know how to do it, but when you do not know, it's more like advanced trigonometry in a foreign language.

Let's talk about thumbs... Because at a certain point comes the thumb issue. That's where I am. Yes, Noëlla explained me last Sunday how to deal with the thumb, with a little drawing and all (and my father-in-law who found all that impossible shebang so funny). So here it is: you put 9 stitches on a pin, you cast 9 new ones and move on. Ok. Got it (????). I got it, but I don't really see it, in fact, I don't see it at all! And dear hubby who keeps on repeating me (he's such a darling) yes, you put 9 stitches (bla-bla-bla)...

I love knitting and like for sewing I don't like to use patterns, I need to experiment on my own to learn. So, tonight, in front of CSI (thank God there's something new on TV!) and then Eli Stone (funny, really), I'm getting my hands dirty into what we can call «taking care of a thumb when knitting a mitten». It's Aunt JJ* who would be delighted!

Ok, going back to my stuff. To be continued!

*Aunt JJ was our sitter when my sisters and I were little, she's the one who taught us how to knit, do embroidery (which I can't remember) and other indispensable things in life :-)

Oh Girl...

Okay, a last one for tonight. But this is really funny...

13 Songs in My Head

Inspired by Geneviève...

A song I've listened to again and again and I'm never tired of listening:
Hallelujah –Rufus Wainwright

A song that makes me go back to when I was 18:
How Soon Is Now –The Smiths

A song that I associate with my first love:
Sunglasses at Night –Corey Hart

A song that instantly makes me feel happy:
How Far We’ve Come –Matchbox 20

A song that makes me cry:
Breathe Me –Sia

A song that makes me laugh:
Flagpole Sitta –Harvey Danger

A song that lets off steam:
Breaking the Habit –Linkin Park

A song that makes me want to dance:
Please Don’t Stop the Music -Rhianna

A song to listen to with your lover:
I Want You –Holly Cole

A song I'm a little ashamed (but not too much) of listening to :
Way Back Into Love –Hugh Grant [feat. Haley Bennett]

A song to listen to while doing housekeeping:
Big Time Sensuality -Björk

A song representing my mood today
Jump -Madonna

A song I listen to quite a lot these days:(and that it always on my mind !):
Out of Our Head -Sheryl Crow

Multi-tasking Creativity

I've been tagged by Guylaine who was herself tagged by Marie-Chantale.

Here's the question to answer:

"How can you, as a creative person, find the right balance in doing many projects simultaneously? How do you manage to complete many projects while keeping a healthy body and mind?"

Wow, the million dollar question...
I think I am some kind of Miss Organization. It sometimes hinders creativity but it also has advantages. I always handle many projects at the same time. Some are professional, others are more personal. I have many notebooks for many different projects, one for my collages, one for my daily writing, another for drawing, one for my creative lists, another I use when I mix drawing and writing (my creative journal). Enough. But I have more, really! Maybe it's due to my passion for notebooks. Or just because, as I wrote earlier, I'm Miss Organization.

I'm into sewing? Well I have an armoire for my fabrics, my threads are in a special container, my accessories in another one. I can put away and take back all my stuff quickly. That way I don't feel overwhelmed by all the stuff laid out everywhere in my «room». The great thing now is that when I'm in the middle of a long-term project I deal much better with a messy room than I was 2-3 years ago. As a child I always had to put away ALL my stuff when I stopped doing something even if it was not finished and wanted to continue later on. My tolerance level is now quite high with my daughters and their «in progress» work. Of course, that means their bedrooms are messy, that you have to be very creative to find a spot to sit down in the basement, but hey, living with two very creative teenagers is so wonderful...

I am also very lucky to have low-maintenance children (I know, this doesn't sound very mommy-like, but you'd be surprised...), which means I don't run too much. The fact that my husband is also a very creative man in his own areas (technologies, woodwork) is also a plus. He understands that I have my girly stuff to do. My man also cooks our meals. All of them... I have a lot of time on my hands, lucky me.

Guylaine mentioned she enjoyed process more than product. For many of my projects, I feel the same. Just the fact of doing something creative, I feel so good. It can take me hours to do a little tiny weeny something, I don't mind because the time spent doing it was so great.

For me, having many creative projects to deal with at the same time means that I'm never bored. That's the way it goes with my work. I have many dossiers to deal with (which are creative in a way since I have to produce, elaborate...) and I can go from one to another depending on my mood or my agenda. I love working like that, it's far from a daily routine.

So, according to the instructions, I shall tag 5 people...
What about Andrea, Ani, Emily, Pénélope and Yannick?