So, I decided to take a few moments to write in this space I call my moment of peace. Ryan has just left for work, and I spent a few minutes with Camia trying to convince her that it is still nighttime. She still has been waking up almost every night, sometime two or three times. Just for a cuddle and a hug. I still have sympathy for her because I believe she is teething and she is still fighting a cold. In the last couple weeks she cut 3 of her eye teeth. My mom says that those are the worst ones to come through. Besides the interrupted sleeps, though, I haven't really noticed them come in - until they're in, and then I remember the times I had with her that were a bit on the rougher side and am happy that I have something to hold accountable. She slept the night through last night, and I am hoping that she will give me at least 1 more hour before she is ready to greet the world for yet another day.

The weather the last couple of days has been lovely. It's rained. And it's been crazy windy. And it's rained. I went into work with my mom again on Tuesday and it was cold and windy. While driving to the greenhouse, I really had to hold my steering wheel for the wind would toss my car in the ditch as if it were a piece of abandoned paper if I let it go. At the greenhouse, twigs, leaves and a whole bunch of other things were tossed on the roof with no mercy and then hurled about with no love. It was rather quite fascinating and almost mesmerizing. Almost. I love this weather. And on the next nice day, I want to take advantage of the wind that's been blowing and head to the park where millions of coloured leaves will have rested on the grassy beds. So far that next nice day looks to be Sunday. We'll see, since the weather man seems to be unable to be for certain what tomorrow will hold as far as the temperature or pattern is concerned.

This cool weather has urged me to pull out some more fall decor that I recently purchased at Michael's for 70% off. They had about 3 rows of halloween/fall decor on special and then about 10 rows of Christmas decor. I try not sigh and try not wish that the seasons would not be rushed but then I remember that Costco has had Christmas decor since July. Then I sigh. Although I do love decorating my house for Christmas and for the last 2 years have only decorated my home for Christmas, this year I found a new love: fall decor! Well, that is not completely true. I started collecting last year. I realized last night while were eating dinner that these pumpkins

happen to match these itty bitty pumpkins I purchased a few weeks ago.

These are my new flowers that occupy the vase that once held the bouquet Ryan brough home for me one day a few weeks ago. I got these ones for free from the flower shop that Ryan always visits. The flowers that he gave me

died within a few short days, so I went back to the florist to ask what he could/would do about it. He made me this bouquet 'to last' he said. I love it.

I also purchased a little wreathe that I hung in my kitchen above my sink.

And I also had a thought run through my brain at some point and time this week. My kitchen (this photo was taken before we moved in) kind of matches the fall season! (It helps to look for the positives. It makes me feel better about my lovely kitchen :) )

Pumpkin Patch

Today a few friends and I took advantage of the nice weather and got some good fall fun in as well. We took our girls and headed to the Willow View Pumpkin Patch in Abbotsford and took pictures and picked out our pumpkins. Camia was so good, and was so much fun. She loved to sit on the pumpkins and loved the petting zoo. She picked out her own pumpkin:

That she carried around for a little while.

And posed for me.There were pumpkins that were bigger than she was!

And ones that she tried, but couldn't lift.

I found a neat wagon to take photo's in. I thought it was very fitting for the pumpkin patch.

She loved the petting barn and felt that she should lay down to see this sheep. The kid that copied her made his mother not too impressed.

She talked to him and tried to give him kisses.

And then we tried for some group shots.

Me and my Bean:
I love her!

They had hay bales painted orange, so I decided to sit Camia on top of one to take her photo. It was windy. Her face on this photo cracks me up.I love this photo:

What Happens When Mommy Can't Sleep...

Tonight I can't sleep. And it's not Camia's fault. So far this night she has not woken up a single time. So, instead of getting cuddles, I knitted. It started out as a scarf for Camia for this winter, but I wasn't 100% happy with how it was turning out. So, instead of ripping it all out (because it was soooo much to rip out :P), I remembered how much fun Camia has had with finger puppets in the past...And turned it into a finger puppet that is just a tad too big for any of my fingers.

Hmm. I am thinking that I should make a family. And use button eyes. That would be fun! Only this time I will make them smaller.

Me Too, Mommy!

My daughter is an imitator. And I love it. She does what I do and tries so hard to be a big helper. Whether it's pushing around a dirt pile with the broom, messing up the dirt pile I left to go get the dust pan for, or handing me laundry out of the basket to put into the washing machine, or handing me laundry that she feels needs to be folded. Again. Yes, folks, she takes my folded laundry off the surface I have laid it, gives it a shake and hands it back to me with her blue eyes growing wider into that puppy look should I not respond quickly enough. Tonight she even tried to 'sew'. When I sew, she loves to sit on my lap and have her scrap that she holds on the machine. If she doesn't have a scrap, she just uses her fingers and pretends she has a scrap.

Today, while I was checking my email, she climbed up onto my 'sewing chair' with her little scrap and did what mommy does almost every day.

Checking the needle to see that it's threaded properly:

Backstiching those seams!
Changing the stitch style:
And now she's ready to sew!

I love my muffin and her attempts to help mommy or be just like mommy.

Late Night Cuddles

For the last couple weeks, Camia has been regularily waking up during the night for what we think is just cuddles. She will wake up, drop her stuffy and cry. I have tried to let her cry it out, but she has not yet come to that point in the game. If the reason she is crying is not because of a fallen stuffy, it seems to be for cuddling purposes only. She will cuddle for about 10 minutes, and then go back to sleep shortly after being put back down. I cannot find reason enough to complain about these late nights interruptions since I don't get an opportunity very often to cuddle with my bean. For this purpose, Ryan has moved my rocking chair to her bedroom so I can sit and cuddle and be comfortable all at the same time. This is how it usually looks:

I am beat since these visits occur at or past midnight and Camia has her eyes wide open. But we get to cuddle and that to me is worth the interrupted sleeps. And sometimes Camia is so far gone too:

Our cuddle chair (I made those pillows this week out of scraps from my fabric bin. I didn't know what else to do with it):

And if she is sleeping while I cuddle her when she wakes, she doesn't even wake up when I lay her back down.

What I Wish I Could Remember...

Tonight is another night where our group of friends gets together for a potluck and an evening of games and good conversation. This month we are planning for an oriental theme and I am making Sweet and Sour Pork. I also attempted to make fortune cookies....which look more like pirogi's than fortune cookies. Apparently this in an art to be acquired. The more you do it, the easier it will be to make them look like this:

I went to several different websites to look for fortune cookie fortunes, and there were so many that weren't really fortunes, like 'The Weather is Beautiful'. Umm, that's a fact. Not a fortune. So, I decided to revert to some good old fashioned Chinese Proverbs. There were so many that applies to my current state of life and that have applied to the past. And some that perhaps apply to my future. I wish I could remember them to tell my children. Figurative language seems to be so much more meaningful rather than saying exactly what you mean. I wonder if only the well learned men and women can only speak in these wonderful tones. These are some of the few I found:

• A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home.
• Insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting a different outcome.
• A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.
• With true friends, even water drunk together is sweet enough.
• I see, I forget. I hear, I remember. I do, I understand.
• I was angered for I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.
• He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool for life.
• A diamond with a flaw is worth more that a pebble without imperfections.
• To attract a good fortune, spend a new penny on an old friend, share and old pleasure with a new friend and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon.

This one made me laugh: "It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins."

Oh, and this is what my cookies look like:

They taste good, which I think is important, but they don't really look like the traditional fortune cookie. Oh well. This just means I get to practice more :D.

Sneak Peek

These days have been super busy and hard to wrap my mind around. This, mind you, is completely my own fault. No one is to blame but me. (Although I must admit that sometimes it is nice to blame it on something/one other than myself...)

I have been trying to get my quilt out and ready for use, but that has been proving to be difficult with a sick child who is need of some extra TLC this past week plus some days.

Last week I had arranged a date with my sister and potentially my mom to head to the states so they could get cheese. Cheese is about half the price across the line and every time I go or talk of going they ask me to bring back cheese for them. At least, my mom did. The last time my sister also asked me. Since I am not able to take enough dairy products for them and myself across the line at any given time due to restrictions, I told my sister that she needed to accompany me if she desires to have cheese. So, yesterday we headed to the states.

I tried to aim to have my quilt all together so I could purchase fabric for it across the line. There is this store there that I really like where I got all my fabric for my quilt...and where I got almost all of the fabric I've ever worked with. I didn't get it finished in time. I got most of it finished, so I could still match it and also have approximate dimensions as to how much fabric I would actually need to purchase. With the scraps I assembled a thing that looks like a pot holder but it's definitely not a pot holder. Right now. Maybe when I get sick of it and feel the urge to destroy it, but not now. Now it's for under a ceramic vase full of pretty flowers Ryan brought home for me the other day. And its a part of my fall decor.

Here is a sneak peek of my fall quilt fabrics:

And a peek at some of the decor I put up since it has now stopped sun shining. (It's raining, Melissa...Sorry, couldn't resist :D )

And here is my most recent fall accent that my wonderful man brought home for me the other day.

Oh, and just for the record, we finally finished the banister.

Ryan also painted the part under the banister that was previously white. I've shown where this is on the picture by drawing arrows on the photo...

See? It's the same colour as the walls now, and looks 100 times better. Such a wonderful feeling that things are finally getting done! :D