snickerdoodles

TOMS benefit the greater good...

   TOMS Shoes are the perfect summer slip on.  It's a wonderful company on a mission to give shoes to kids in need all over the world.  For every pair TOMS sells they donate a pair to a child, it's wonderful.  Last year they donated 180. 000 pairs and this year's goal is 300,000 pairs! 

TOMS makes shoes for everyone in the family. How perfect would they be for inside shoes at school or instead of slippers at home?

 

These red ones would be so cute with a pair of boyfriend jeans and a blouse.

I like this style for hubbie...

( to see all the styles and fabrics take the link on the left )

Why shoes?

Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.

Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.

Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.

Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

There is one simple solution...SHOES.

Of the planet's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow.  (from the Tom's web page)

Snickerdoodles is fully supportive of the TOMS mission so we added them to our Sponsors sidebar on the left.  Any purchases made via Snicks will also have the commissions donated to World Vision.  We donate all our sponsor commissions so every purchase you make from our page also does a bit of good for someone in need.  Shopping is so much more fun when it does double duty.

Happy Day friends!

stagette-a-mania...

   Wedding season is here,

Brides to be everywhere are celebrating their final days solo, one local Whistler bar actually had 17 separate Stagette reservations this past weekend. (not hard to guess which one if you live here)

I had the great privilege of celebrating with my little sister and her wonderful friends at her own Stagette.    We headed to Vancouver and had an extremely entertaining night of adventures together.  

It all started at a hotel where my sis managed to sabre a champagne bottle with a butter knife (surprisingly no one woke up with glass splinters in their butt this morning!) and we all had sparkling wine toasts while munching the very realistic penis-shaped pate appetizer on crackers. 

The off to the Pole Dance Studio  penthouse for some challenging pole and lap dancing lessons.

 

Accessories are a must when doing erotic dancing.  Janey and I started out quite mellow with our choices. 

 

I got a little sassier as we got comfortable.   A poufy wig does wonders for your ego...even when you screw up and have the bangs on the side of your head as I seem to have managed somehow!

 

My sister was quite a bit more creative with her costuming choices.  Her amazing physical fitness also made her quite a natural at all the moves as you can see.

Luckily they had a very sexy male there for us to practice our lap dancing on...

 

After our lessons we headed to Rodney's Oyster House for a yummy dinner and huge amounts of beverages.  A new find is Vincent Van Gough Espresso Vodka, it was delicious.  It would be wonderful on the rocks to sip after dinner.

Then we headed out for our final stop, a karaoke club.    When we got out of the cab it wasn't clear where to go.  I slipped in a building for directions...the bride to be started singing full blast thinking we had arrived and we raised a lot of eyebrows at the Shangri La!

Our destination wasn't far, it was called Fantacity and when we went down the stairs it was like we went to another world.  We had a private room and it was hilarious.  Everything was in Japanese, even Bon Jovi was a pretty Japanese man on the video footage.  We rocked out, beer was flying everywhere  (glad I don't like beer because I think that saved me) and there was tons of laughing and air guitar.  Most of us left with very strained voices.

On the way back to the hotel we ate terrible stinky falafels and got lots of strange looks for the tighty whitey mens gotch we were wearing over our jeans. 

It was all a whack of fun but I must say the party life is exhausting, but it was worth it to celebrate my sis!

anything is possible...

Whoo hoo Susan...you can't help but be inspired by this snazzy print.

 

Illustrator Susan Black, who lives in a Nova Scotia seaside village, sells prints and originals of her typographic paintings on Etsy, like the lovely Anything and Everything.  Sadly, I think this particular piece has sold but there are lots of other fun options for excellent prices.

Being a Momma to only boys is not quite as fun sometimes when it comes to decorating...

BUT how fabulous would this be for a boys room of any age.  Love the colours, the newsprint and the fanatastic fonts.

 

I finally added a few new pieces to my ETSY page as well...disregard the shipping prices, I send everything via Canada Post at the lowest rate possible.  Find me at  Snickerdoodle Life .  I'll also be clearing out my studio soon for the move so let me know if you want some glassware and I will gladly sell off some finished works for wholesale. 

 

 

 

 

Corn is Corny...

 

Wiggly teeth, missing teeth, sensitive teeth...they all make chomping corn on the cob rather tricky.  Nothing is better than  hot buttery fresh  corn on the cob, but sometimes it's also nice to serve it off the cob too.

Meet the Corn Zipper...

This nifty tool can be found at Delight and probably through your local kitchen store.  Kitchen gadgets are an irresistable treasure for me and I have yet to see this one in a shop but perhaps I dismissed it as a common peeler.

Here is what it said on Delight:

 The Corn Zipper "unzips" kernels from the cob! This unique tool removes rows of kernels at once and lands them neatly in a bowl. Delightful! Perfect for everything from corn chowder to corn cakes! Dishwasher safe; length: 6"

 

The price is $13.50.  What a great little summer BBQ hostess gift.  Tie it onto a bottle of wine and you are ready to go!

 

As my Dad always used to say: "Corn is Corny!"  

 

Happy Weekend friends.

gratitude is the heart's memory...

 "Gratitude is the heart's memory."

-French Proverb

   As photographs documenting the past few days download into my computer I give thanks... 

I give thanks to a teacher who goes above and beyond the expectations.

A tireless woman who makes each student a memory book of their entire school year.  She snaps individual photos of each child at every school event.   It's all in the book for parents and the student to treasure over the years.  (there is even a year end slide show DVD tucked in)

 

 

Both my boys have had the gift of being taught by Sandra Epplett and they will remember her always. Yes,  she gives them candy and assigns homework that is sometimes hard to keep up with...and you wouldn't dare make her angry because apparently a  mean little witch comes out of her shoe,

BUT...she somehow manages to keep twenty squirmy six year olds in order, and teaches them skills that will set them up for life.  Tying shoelaces, telling time, math reading and writing.  They have come so far and have so much pride in their new skills, it's absolutely amazing.  Just the idea of it makes me anxious, I would not have the energy or patience for such a huge feat. 

Mrs Epplett, you are a shining star of a teacher and always have a special place in our family memories. 

I give thanks to the parents and students and other staff at Spring Creek that work so hard to make it a lovely place for our kiddos to be. 

I give thanks for the extra efforts to teach the gifts of character program, offer music and art and daily fitness.  For the Mom's who organize weekly sushi days, and fresh fruit and veggies.  For a Sports Day with Olympic athletes, the official mascots!  What a gift you give to our families and our community.

I give thanks to Tracey and her sweetie Hailey who organized this class going away gift for Liam...

 

  

Liam was touched and has been very pensive about this whole saying "goodbye thing" over the past couple of days.  When we got home today we had a little group hug and I asked the boys how they were feeling about leaving Spring Creek. 

Noah sighed and said: "Moving is mixed up, it's a really good thing but it's really hard." 

Liam added: "Yeah, really hard." 

My teary eyes answered for me but I quickly gave them a smile and said it's all going to be just fine. 

We are so grateful and our hearts are filled with fond memories of school life here.

Hooray for summer holidays and for lazy mornings at home together.   For all the readers who don't have school age children you can sigh with relief now...Snickerdoodles will be back on track starting tomorrow. 

so touched...

   Just before I left to spend the day at school with the boys I received this email from a reader and it made me so happy.  Day after day I write, I adore it, the journey is enlightening.  Hearing from others that they are also enjoying Snickerdoodles deeply touches my heart.  Cindy wrote:

Hi Kerry,

I just had to tell you how much a part of my family you have been these last few days.  I've been tearing apart my bedroom/craft/storage closet for the past two days and one of the enjoyable parts of doing this has been the time I've had your blog pulled up on my lap top as I listened on and on to your music playlist.  Your choices make me smile and make my daunting task seem a little less miserable!!!  My 6 yr. old peeked her head in several times last night to tell me the music was beautiful, too.

 

When my 10 yr. old came inside our room to inquire as to what kind of explosion had hit her parents room, she was immediately drawn into your music list and blog.  My Emma has always had an interest in home design so I took a break and began to show her the photos of Birch Hill.  When I went back to my sorting she continued to search through your posts and oohed and ahhed over your light fixtures and others entries.  She asked me when she woke up this morning if I would alert her to further posts.

 

And finally, she and I cried together when she reached the entries about your sweet Barley.  Like her mama, Emma is connected to her pets in ways others can't quite understand.  Your final days with Barley brought back our good-byes over the last two years with our older dogs.  They were good cries because they allowed us to remember our sweet family buddies together.  The tears are welling up again so I shall sign off.  I'm off to listen to your music list again......and sort some more boxes.

 

Thank you!!

Cindy in Indiana

Writing Snicks is a pleasure, I feel so honored that you visit.  I am always grateful for feedback of any sort, it motivates me to grow as a writer, Momma and a bliss follower.

Last night I had a light bulb moment.  You know how folks say your intuition sometimes gives you a little nudge on life directions/changes to make...last night my intuition whooped my ass.

The more I cut back on work and open my schedule to unobstructed Motherhood the more I realize I regret the time I have given away in the past to growing my glass and book businesses.  This year of cutting back on spending to save for the house has not been that hard.  Soon we'll be in Birch Hill and I will keep living frugally.  Spending less saves me from having to work more...opening up more and more time to just be.  In that time I feel confident that I will find my passions.  Next year one of my goals is to spend more time at school with the boys, it makes them so happy. 

Childhood is such a short period of time,  I have regrets about some of my past choices but now it all seems so clear. 

Off to puppy training in the pouring rain, gross.  Looking forward to a hot bath and finally watching Slumdog Millionaire when I get back.

thank-you Cindy, you made my day!

kerry

boo hoo, wah, wah...

   We are days away from being done another school year and I am not dealing well at all. 

It seems like just last week that I sent the boys off to start grade one and grade five...now they are almost done. 

All of a sudden Liam is a front-toothless reading machine and Noah a math wiz and poker lover. 

What I wouldn't do to know I could have another few months of greeting them off the school bus...

 

To see Ryan dance with delight at the sight of his brothers,

To relish in their pride as they excitedly show me their latest creations (like the turkey in the bag),  and share their new knowledge. 

Off to boo hoo myself to sleep and get ready for another day of weeping at school functions tomorrow. 

much luv friends,

k

homemade treasures...

Now that Dad's got his gifts I can show them off...

   

Here is the finished beer stein...perfect for Daddy sized drinks, hot or cold.  Find the full instructions here: http://snickerdoodles.typepad.com/snickerdoodle_life/2009/06/make-a-mug-for-dad.html

 

How funny is this?  I LOVE these stick horses they made at school.  Dad just can't stop riding around on it.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of visiting.  Luckily the rain broke and the sunshine moved into Pemberton in the late afternoon.   So glad we could fully enjoy the property of the hosts.  There were  rowing races in their pond, zip lining, soccer games, horses and bunnies to pat, and barns to explore. 

The whole thing doesn't seem real.  I am feeling like a major dork for not saying anything at our presentation but I don't feel ready to go there yet.  A nice email to all will have to be sent out later. 

The boys had the best time running free and playing outside...makes me look forward to life at Birch Hill.  We stayed late and everyone is rather pooped today, but in a good way.

Now, I need to get back to firing my last glass orders.  It's chilly today and having the oven running is helping nip the cold air in the house. 

Also a bit of a flooring challenge has come up for Birch Hill.  The supplier that has 500 square feet of our tile in their warehouse has declared bankruptcy and the tile cannot be shipped.  It's due to be installed this week so hopefully another supplier can be located quickly.  We were really happy with our pick and the last thing I want to do at this point is find a substitute tile.  I'm not too worried as it was a pretty standard tile choice and someone is bound to have it around.

Ending this post with a funny shot I took near the end of our party...I found this little monkey helping himself to some more desert,

 

Before he realized he was busted for cake munching...

 

After...what a cutie.  So grateful to everyone who came out to bid farewell last night.  We were truly touched by all your kindness and generosity. 

the big day for Daddy's...

Happy Father's Day to Daddio's near and far!   Hope your days are filled with love from your kiddos big and small. 

The Dad of the house here still sleeps as he worked all night.  Later he will be spoiled with snuggles and creations from our boys.

As well as Father's Day, it's also the start of the Farmer's Market...a greatly anticipated event in Whistler. 

and...the 15th anniversary celebration at the Upper Village Market, the best place is Whistler to order gift baskets of all sorts.  Who doesn't love getting a gift basket filled with artisan-made, gourmet goodies to nosh on?

(The folks at the Upper Village Market have been using my Kids Guide to Whistler books for several years in their family baskets and I will miss working with them.  At least I know we can still visit as friends,  congratulations Tanya and Rod! )

and..Noah is in a soccer tourney

and... it's our first going away party marking our looming move date! 

To top it all off it's raining...goodness, a little more crazy to throw into this Sunday.

Bring it on. Pictures to come later of the crafts for Dad.

Sending internet kisses and love to my Dad...can't wait to be together to celebrate next year!

coulda, shoulda, woulda...

   Today I declare "Garage Sale Victory!"

  The boys hit the Mother-load buying a Bionacle collection from a teenage friend at Sale #1. 

I hummed and haaa'd about a very good barbeque with a new cover, tank and stainless accessories for $75.  I had first dibs and two other people wanted it too and the pressure was on...I phoned home and hubbie said he wanted to use natural gas as we have a hook-up at Birch Hill, he had lots of questions I couldn't answer.  I folded and regretted it later as our b.b.q. is  almost unusable now.  The other two parties entered into a bidding war. I missed out on a very good deal.

From then on I did not waiver when I saw something we needed. 

 The next sale I snapped up a solid wood bookcase for $5.  It's country oak, which I generally loathe but the finish is very worn.  A perfect time to paint it out like our trim work.  The lines are good, the size is right, the shelves are solid...a great score!

Later we stopped at two more.

 First stop,  I got an adorable canary yellow enamelled stove top coffee perk/tea pot in perfect condition.  I am just going to paint the wooden teapot lid a nice glossy grey as grey and yellow seem to be the colour combo du jour these days.

Second stop, a fun new canvas shoulder bag for $5, a cute top for $2, a silver leather clutch for 50 cents, a stack of kids novels for my reading maniac, and a much needed microwave!  How lucky for me it was the right size for our new kitchen built in at Birch Hill, stainless and black.  A very similar model to what I had picked out on line and it saved us hundreds of buckaroos. 

Hubbie was not happy as he despises garage sales but I do not care.  It takes effort but how wonderful it is to give good items a new home.  We got things we needed without the packaging waste, extra costs and mind-blowing choice dilemmas encountered when going to a big store. 

The thing to remember with life and garage sailing is ...

Self-trust is the first secret of success.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson