Return to the Garden

Since our gardening season ended last fall we have been anxiously awaiting warmer days so that we could go and start prepping our garden space, this weekend we got to do just that. Not only did we go and map out our space but we bought seeds too! This year we've decided to try our hand at some heirloom and rare varieties and I am so excited at how colourful our garden will be.

Our garden's before picture looks much different from last years photos. This year there was no fence to be re-built and only a small amount of garden debris to be  removed.

We picked up our seeds from a seed exchange/sale in Scarborough and this year we will be growing the following:

Chioggia Beets

Atomic Red Carrots

Cosmic Purple Carrots

Provider Bush Beans

Homesteader Peas

Royal Burgundy Beans

Sugar Snap Peas

Russian Blue Potatoes

Habanero Peppers

We also bought a few seed packs from a local on-line source, Cubit's. From them we've ordered golden detroit yellow beets, yellow pair tomatoes, and purple tomatillos. These should arrive sometime in the next week or so. 

This year we will be trying our hand at starting some seeds indoors, Buzz and Ed have already started the habanero peppers, we'll start the tomatoes as soon as they arrive. Back at the garden we  have already planted peas as they can be planted before the last frost date, this year we started out with a tall trellis so that we don't have to switch it out halfway through as we did last year. Buzz happily planted peas and then created a racetrack in the dirt.

At the end of our Sunday trip to the garden Buzz simply did not want to leave, and so I suspect that despite there being not a lot more to do in the garden at the moment, we will go back at some point this week to let him dig in the dirt.

What I Love Wednesday : Ice Cream Floats

Ice cream floats taste like summer and look so pretty in a mason jar. Yum!

Finger Puppets

I made some finger puppets - yay!

Last night after Buzz went to sleep I sat down with a very hot bucket of water, some wool, and dish soap, and wet felted several finger puppet bodies. Today they were dry and I was able to needle felt a whole lot of personality into each little puppet. I'm very happy with how they all turned out and will eventually list some if not all on my Etsy shop. I need to figure out the best containers to ship them in before I list them. 

As with every item that I intend on listing in my shop, if you are interested in buying one of these guys right away then please message me and I will happily let you know about pricing and will set up a special early listing just for you. These finger puppets are not recommended for kids under 3.

A New Name for the Shop

I have decided to change the name of my business. While I love the name Mrs.Sewbot I feel that it doesn't allow for enough range in products without creating confusion, confusion in a business name is simply no good. The new name of my business is one that you should all be familiar with: Plaid Raspberries. This should keep things nice and cohesive and this name allows me to create whatever I want, whether I sew it, crochet it, or whatever.

I have also opened up a new Facebook page, so find Plaid Raspberries on Facebook and like me. When I have enough people on the page I will be sure to run a contest now and then as well as keep you updated on the blog, Etsy shop, and any upcoming shows I might be doing.

I don't yet have my shop on Etsy up and running, but I will let you all know when I have items there to buy. In the meantime take a look at some items that will most likely be the first to show up in the shop.

If you are interested in any of these new creations please contact me at plaidraspberries@hotmail.com and I will be happy to let you know about their price, shipping info, and setting up an Etsy listing just for you.

As you can see Buzz is quite fond of these guys, luckily he has an octopus of his own named Ollie. Ollie was the very first octopus that I made and so is very special indeed. These four Octopi are larger than the original but they are still the perfect size to be toted around by one of their 8 sturdily sewn legs. Each face is hand embroidered and so each one is a little different, some even have eyelashes. All of these octopi are made from recycled wool sweaters, are stuffed with fiberfill and are sturdy enough to throw in the wash on cold and hung to dry.

Saturday Morning at the St.Lawrence Market

Despite not having a very cold snowy winter this year, I'm done with it all and am very much ready for spring. Soon the air will turn warm and sweet and I can go back to wearing sneakers instead of giant winter boots... I can't wait!

We have had a few adventures this winter, whenever there has been a milder day we've taken full advantage of it to explore the city. This past weekend we went down to St.Lawrence Market on a mission to find some wonderful vegetables to cook with a roast later that night. We found some purple, orange, and white carrots, wonderful red onions, and some very nice purple potatoes that went wonderfully with the roast that we ended up cooking on Monday.

Our plans to eat a roast for dinner on the night we brought it and the veggies home was forgotten soon after we ate our lunch and realized that we weren't going to be all that hungry for a big dinner that evening. Lunch that day was amazing. St.Lawrence Market is full of wonderful food, and after some searching Ed managed to find something that was just perfect for my surprisingly picky pregnant self -  a pulled pork burrito from Carnicero's. Packed with pulled pork and homemade coleslaw this burrito was quite likely the tastiest meal I've had in quite a while.  Ed ate a steak fajita from the same place and quickly proclaimed that he could see himself eating something off of their menu every week. When trying a new food place we always try each others meals and I must say that the fajita was incredibly good as well.

Buzz was less than interested in the food that we offered him and was a little obsessed with the jelly beans that he spied in another shop in the market. We let him eat some jelly beans and an orange for lunch, he was thrilled.

While we can't wait for the outdoor farmer's markets to re-appear, the St.Lawrence market with their own farmer's market on Saturdays has turned out to be a wonderful place  for us to spend our Saturday mornings. The sights, sounds, and amazing food are a welcome addition to any day in the city.

Long time, no write, now for some news!

Well it's been a while, and I have news!  We are expecting again! The baby is due at the begining of summer and we are definitely excited although I could do without the morning sickness.  I haven't been writing lately due to all the mornig sickness and general exhaustion that my pregnancy has brought me, today however I'm feeling pretty good.

In  other news I now have a tablet which allows me to be a little more spontaneous in blog postings and photo ops. I'll also be able to blog while I'm out and about which is good because that is about the only time that Buzz seems to nap these days. Right now however Buzz is awake so  it is time to read, play, and do a little Christmas shopping.

Sunny Autumn Day

What a beautiful autumn day! The temperature warmed up a little, the sun came out, and we spent some time outside today. There have been a lot of grey skies and rainy days lately so the sunshine was such a wonderful treat. It seemed as though everyone was out taking in the beautiful weather before the very cold weather sets in.

Buzz took a ride on his bike in the park. He's getting very good at it and glides along at quite a speed. He is very fond of riding down hills. He only took one tumble today but he didn't seem at all bothered by it.

After the park we went to the garden to pull a few weeds, plant some bulbs for next year (tulips for the spring), and grab a couple carrots. Buzz pulled up a wonderful purple carrot, it tasted great. I love the way they look, the purple colour is so deep and rich and the centers are bright orange. If you get the chance, pick up some purple carrots, they have them at some grocery stores although they are more common at farmer's markets. These would be so great for kids, they taste very much like orange carrots but the colour makes them fun and interesting.

While at the garden we took in a little of the animal life that resides in the woods that the garden backs onto. A coyote was meandering around the garden plots looking for food, he was a little thin and young looking, hopefully he finds a big groundhog for a good meal. He was skittish enough which was good, he would come close but run off with any  noise. We were sure to keep Buzz close although it was very neat for him to see the coyote. Buzz was very good at pointing the coyote out from across the garden. If you'll remember this isn't the first time we've seen a coyote in Toronto, we saw one earlier this summer just off the highway. 

We've still got a few more things to clean up at the garden, some plants to pull up and some general tidying around the garden so that there is less work to do come spring. We definitely don't want to have as much work to do next spring as we did this spring past.

What I Love Wednesday : Buzz Playing in the Leaves

Now that Autumn is here it is time to start doing all those wonderful things that can only do this time of year, like playing in the leaves! 

 Photo credit this time around goes to my very tall husband who is the perfect height to take photos like this.

Buzz had a chance this past weekend to spend some time in a big pile of leaves with his cousins. He loved it! We'll hopefully have many more leaf jumping days ahead of us before the snow gets here.

Vacation

We've had a vacation! Hurrah for us! Ed hasn't taken much time off of work since Buzz was born and so we thought it was about time he took a couple of weeks off to spend with us doing all sorts of fun things. We went to the zoo, ate ice cream for lunch, took a look at the hockey hall of fame, and generally had a good time. 

We ended the time off with a trip up the trans-canada highway to see my sister. I have two sisters, one living right here in the city with me, and another living an 8 hour road trip away. We were lucky enough that my Toronto sister was also heading up to see our road trip sister and so for the very first time we had all 5 of our children together. They all seemed to get along very well, and the chaos was kept to a minimum which was a bonus. 

Half way through our road trip we stopped at Science North in Sudbury. With our memberships to the Ontario Science Centre we are able to get into other science centres and museums for free, Science North is one of these places. We had a wonderful time and we will definitely be stopping there again, everything is very hands on and I think that is always a mark of a good museum.There were moments when Ed and I were enjoying the exhibits as much, if not more, then Buzz. Everyone was very approachable and the entire set up of the centre made it very easy to go from one floor to the next, best of all there was so much to look at. Here is a pic of Buzz and Ed playing in the sand and making waterways.

 

To enter Science North exhibits you go down a long rock tunnel, Ed lifted Buzz up so that he could touch the top of it.

After our stop we drove the rest of the way to my road trip sister's house and spent the next few days with herself, her husband, and their three kids. 

I made cookies with cookies inside. They were pretty tasty and the kids loved the novelty of it all. Find the recipe here.

We visited a park near my road trip sister's house, they boys were very fond of the pebble beach and the waterfall. They're both wearing hats that I've made for them, I thought they looked like Yoda and an Ewok while walking in the forest. These two got along famously, at 4 and 2 and a half they seem to be a good age match. Buzz is happy to follow his cousin around, and his cousin is happy to let him do so.

Now that we're back in town we seem to be in need of a vacation from our vacation. Buzz is now getting over his first ever ear infection, while I managed to get tonsillitis. We're all feeling much better than we were a couple of days ago, but I think we'll be laying low for the next couple of days so that we will be feeling better for thanksgiving. 

We took Buzz to Dutch Dreams earlier this week. Dutch Dreams is a magical place where ice cream is pretty much the only item on the menu. I've only ever been once before when I came to Toronto to visit my sister and she took me to Dutch Dreams for dinner. Ice cream for dinner.... I thought it was amazing. I've been wanting to go all summer and the opportunity opened up for all three of us to go on a rainy Monday. 

We ordered three scoops with marshmallow topping, it came with whipped topping, fruit, and peanuts. It was good.... very very good. Buzz's eyes got very big when they put it on the table in front of him.

Buzz was tired from a long day out, but he stayed awake long enough to eat a little ice cream and taste the icing sugar sprinkled on the edge of the plate. 

I don't have any pictures of the outside of the building but its covered in cows and bright colours, the inside is crammed full of dutch treats and has cows hanging from pretty much everywhere. Before we left they gave Buzz a balloon, he fell asleep almost as soon as we got on the bus.

More Sewing

If you thought the lightning bolts from yesterday's post were adorable then you will definitely want to check out these delightful new additions to the Mrs.Sewbot family - rainclouds with faces!

Sewing

I'm getting ready this week for a craft show that I'm participating in this weekend, part of the Cabbagetown festival, and so I have been coming up with a few new items that will hopefully delight! There will definitely be more to come but here is a little look at my latest project - lightning bolts! They'll go wonderfully with the clouds that I'm sewing today.

If you are in Toronto then I would highly recommend heading on down to Cabbagetown to check out the festival this weekend. The whole neighbourhood is filled with crafts, yard sales, and tons of people. Last year we all had a great time, Ed took Buzz to the pancake breakfast, they explored playgrounds, I sold crafts and shopped at yard sales, all while soaking in the early autumn weather.

What I Love Wednesday

Hey...its Wednesday. What do I love? Hmm....... I've got it! I love when Ed tosses Buzz in the air (and catches him of course). Buzz giggles, Ed smiles, and for a moment a tiny piece of the world becomes a better place.

Places to Go :a visit to rose beach with wings

We're down to the last days of August and so we hit the beach this weekend to enjoy the slightly cooler weather and the wonderful sunshine. I love when the cooler weather hits but the sky is still full of sunshine. Buzz has a true red head complexion and cooler weather means that he can spend more time in long sleeves and pants, reducing the need for copious amounts of sunscreen.

We were down to Chatham this past weekend for a visit to see my parents and on Sunday we went out for a drive so that we could all dip our feet in the water of Lake Erie. Buzz was a little nervous at first, but he got the hang of the waves and was soon throwing stones into the water and retrieving them once the water retreated. 

I had picked up a pair of blue butterfly wings for him at Wal-Mart earlier in the weekend and he seemed to enjoy wearing them wherever we went. Most people were very receptive to my little boy wearing his blue wings, I think we only heard one comment about how he's going to not like us later in life for putting him in them. The truth of it though is that there really isn't any way we could force him to wear anything. He's old enough now that if he doesn't want to wear something, he takes it off, and that is perfectly fine with us. 

With Halloween coming up (eee!!! I love Halloween) it is a great time to stock up on dress up clothes. If you're trying to build a dress up collection on a budget look for accessories; wings, wands, and hats, as opposed to entire outfits.

I hope that you're enjoying the last few days of summer. Luckily our summers tend to extend well into September. Without the deadline of back to school we are free to enjoy the empty playgrounds and cool breezes.

Food and Animals

I've been crocheting quite a bit this week, I made some baby hats and sold the very first one that I listed on Etsy. I'm hoping to list some more as soon as I can get them made. If you're interested in placing an order for a hat send me a quick message through my Etsy shop.I think my favourite is the fox hat, I find it delightful.

 

Near the end of the week Buzz and I took a trip on a bus and went over to the Eglinton - Yonge neighbourhood to spend some time with friends. We went to the apple tree farmers' market with  my friend D and her beautiful baby. This is a great farmers' market, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, some honey, the chocolate guy, and ready to eat food. Buzz and I had lunch, bought some Kale, and then said goodbye to D and baby boy beautiful. We then walked up the street and met up with Alexis, we did a little more shopping and then went over to her apartment where I made some Kale chips. The Kale chips were simple, rip the leaves into chip sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake in the oven at 350 or so for about 10 to 15 minutes. These were a delicious snack, I must find more Kale and snack again.

Yesterday we went to yet another birthday party (our 5th since Buzz's own in April). At this point in the year Buzz has the whole birthday party routine down pat and is quick to chat about cake when we tell him where we're going. Buzz loved the party and was exhausted afterward. As usual he was also a huge fan of the birthday cake.

Today we kept it low key with just a little trip over to drop off our baby swing for Little K to use. It was set up in a hurry and he seemed to like it. We also brought lunch and cherries - a treat for everyone!

On our way home we saw a coyote just off the side of the 401. We were slowed down enough that I was able to get a picture. He blends in pretty well but look close, he's right in the middle. 

I'm excited to see what this week brings, hopefully a few more meetups with friends and a trip or two to a farmer's market. August is almost over and while I'm looking forward to cooler weather, I'm definitely feeling the need to squeeze the last little bit of warmth and fun from the summer.

Places to Go : The David Dunlap Observatory

In an attempt to catch sight of the meteor shower this past weekend we drove up to our local observatory to see what we could see. Unfortunately they had cancelled the event (the meteor shower was still happening I'm sure, we simply didn't have the clear skies or telescopes with which to see it) but they were more than welcoming and invited us onto their creepily dark grounds to get a little tour of the place. The telescope was huge, their building was majestic in the light of the full moon, and it was dark enough to take some pretty awesome flashlight pictures. 

I set the exposure time for 15 or so seconds and Ed wrote my name with a flashlight. I had to flip the image so that my name wasn't backwards, the end result is pretty cool. I want to do another with sparklers.

 

We're hoping to head on up to the observatory again later this summer to catch sight of some stars and dance in the dark.