Friday, September 23, 2016

Where A&V Will Be This Fall

This is where you'll find me out and about selling this fall.  There are some great events on this list that I am excited to be a part of!

Saturday, September 24
Etsy Made In Canada Sale
This is the second time Regina has had an Etsy sale; I was in last year's and it was pretty great to be surrounded by people who do what I do, but with all kinds of different things they make.  Come check it out if you can.  There will be workshops on macrame, paper making, bullet journaling, and starting an Etsy shop as well as the shopping.
Research and Innovation Centre Atrium, U of R  10-5

Saturday, October 15
Henry Braun SCC
I prefer the all handmade sales over craft and trade shows, but I had no other sales in October so thought I'd add this one in.  Hoping for some good crowds.
710 Graham Road, Regina  10-4

Saturday November 5
Maranatha Women's Wellness Day
This event is in Winnipeg at my family's church, and while I will not be in attendance, there will be a table of my goods for sale.  Check with the church as to the best drop-in shopping times. 204-832-1371


Saturday November 19
Cathedral Christmas Craft Sale
Second year for this one, too.  It is the same day as the sale at Westminster Cathedral, and just across the street and down a bit, so you can take in both and don't even have to move your car.
2900 13th Ave, Regina  10-5

Sunday November 20
Twinkle: A Holiday Handmade Market
First time joining up with the Wren for an event, but it promises to be awesome.
The Exchange - 2431 8th Ave, Regina  11-5

Saturday November 26
Holiday Bazzart
Bazzart is the annual outdoor summer sale put on by the MacKenzie Art Gallery; this holiday version take place inside.  I've been once - a lit of talented people!  I applied for Bazzart this year for the first time and was thrilled to get in to both summer and holiday shows.
3475 Albert Street, Regina  10-5

Thank you to all who shop local and handmade.  It makes our communities better places.  :)

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

A Summer of 5 Star Books

I finished a good book yesterday and when I went to jot it down on my list, I noticed that they were all rated really good - and there were a lot of them! So it's time to share, I guess!  I hope you find time to pickup a book - I feel like my time should be spent sewing or listing items in my shop or getting things ready for our scrapbooking retreat which is coming up soon, so I may not devour as many in the next months as I would when times are slower.  Can't not read, though.

4 Stars

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel - He has descriptive writing that really transports you to another time and place, but can be a little odd at times, too.  There are three different characters in different times that all tie in to one place in the end.  There was one theological error that bothered me since so much research would have had to go in to the rest of the story; why get that part wrong??

Distortion by Terri Blackstock - she writes decent Christian Fiction.  Not a ton of depth, but it was ok.  (Maybe more of a 3.5?  I'm sure you can find more amazing books, but in a pinch, pick her off the library shelf.)

4.5 Stars

The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva - A WWII story with lots of layers in the spy game.  I picked this one up because I thought it was the first in his series, but this was a stand alone.

5 Stars

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd - This one is about an affair, so if you don't want to go there, don't pick this one up.  It is more of a psychological look at a woman finding herself unsure of who she really is once she's facing an empty nest, and what she goes through to understand who she is and what she wants.  Kidd's understanding of people is well captured.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for  Day by Winifred Watson - Written in the 30's, this was a fun read with a delightful cast of characters.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson - Really good.  It'll take you a few chapters to get into it, maybe, but quite interesting, if you can accept the strangeness of the main character living her life over and over again.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - Another really good one.  It follows a few characters after a nasty virus kills off most of the world's population.

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva - This is the first in the series that I was looking for.  Israeli spy / restoration artist.  Good guys vs bad guys all around Europe...

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - Grumpy old man that you fall for as you slowly learn his story.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - I started this one years ago but got distracted by something easier probably, so decided I'd read it for the reading challenge I'm attempting this year.  Glad I read it, though I'm sure I missed lots - very wordy and I was not always clear what he was talking about!  Great story, overall.  First Dickens I've read - is that sad?

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - Despair and hope. Set in the 30's in the US, it chronicles an Irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train to the Midwest to find a family.  Also set in the present day as a teen helps the same girl, now in her 90's, clean out her attic, and all the memories it uncovers.  That sounds a little cheesy, but it really is well done.  This one stuck in my brain for a long time.

If you are looking for more good recommendations, I would send you over to Modern Mrs. Darcy - her blog has lots of good lists.


Happy page flipping!!








Thursday, September 08, 2016

97%

I was pretty proud of our boy this past week, for a bunch of things.

He wanted more Lego, so Dad, training a future entrepreneur, told him he should find a way to raise money to buy some.  I sure hope he learns that hard work is what gets you things, not just handouts from your parents.  So since we were camping, collecting cans seemed to be a no-brainer.  We went around our loop of the campground Sunday night and around another Monday morning, and after rinsing them all in the backyard Tuesday, Sarcan handed over $41.65.  That's a lot of cans!  And a lot of Lego!

We had also said we'd pay half, so after Sarcan we headed to ToysRUs, got his $30 set he wanted and he still has $25 towards the other big set he wants.  He's thrilled to have the Volcano Exploration Truck, and I'm thrilled that he had a good experience doing some work and seeing a reward for it.


(In other Lego news, I picked up a bulk lot today - over 1000 pieces for $25 is a pretty sweet deal - and now we have over 7000 pieces...  But it gets used!  A lot!)


Another reason I was proud of N is that he didn't really want to go to school.  At all.  He wanted to skip every class before it even started.  But Tuesday after lunch he got ready with no fuss and when we got there he told Mrs. Palero that he was excited about what they were going to be learning!  Whew.  I was not looking forward to school being a fight.  And today was a bit the same - "I don't want to go" followed by "I had an awesome time."

And number three:  He got his 4 year immunizations yesterday (after ToysRUs and before he put the set together ALL BY HIMSELF).  He was distracted by the Lego box while we were waiting, but didn't make a fuss at all and chatted up the nurse who was suitably charmed and said he was a great communicator and was so ready for Kindergarten already.  He even counted her down to the shot and said it didn't hurt much.  He is ornery about a lot of things like school and going for this shot and eating lots of food, but comes around in the end and does just fine.

Except for pants.  This summer he only wore camo shorts and it looks like this fall only fuzzy pants will do.  Fleece lined.  Sigh.  We pick our battles...

Oh, and he is 97th percentile in height and 97th percentile in weight.  Very proportionate.  :)