Thanks to Eurika, Farasha and Suhani for coming out under the Belly Dancing For Fun umbrella and being fabulous rogue dancers!
We had a blast as part of the entertainment at the Asian Heritage Month Banner Unfurling on Monday May 6th.
Click HERE to see some of our other posed shots!
Posted in BDFF Experiences, Halyma Dances
Sunshine, great company at brunch and dinner with a lovely afternoon of quiet in between means I am almost recharged. Almost…
Today started at about 6:15 a.m. with a plan to walk to Brewer Park from home in order to get my first taste of the macaroons so raved about from Hearty Bakery. Of the 6 I bought, I kept two for WTL and I, giving the remaining selections to Linda B for her B-day today.
Photo stolen directly from the Hearty Bakery website so click on it to go see their awesomeness.
After the 2.5 hour walk/ 12.8 km round trip:
Home to Brewer Park along Colonel By: 6.4 km -allegedly 1 hour 19 minutes each way. Happy to walk faster than the average Google pedestrian.
Where was I? oh, yes, after the walk, subsequent short SprocketWalk, and freshening up, we headed off to the Byward Market location of LoneStar for their final day of 2for1 Sunday Brunches. We had even numbers, so everyone got their breakfast at half price and yes, @leiladancer, I agree, the coffee does taste great!
After that, WTL and I popped into Home Hardware to get some new attachments for the beast and her back yard leash. then we parted ways as he headed off to ByMug and I headed home to get the beast ready for a test drive.
We have friends who are awesome about helping keep the beast exercised while I am super busy over the next few weeks . ShiboriBorealis snapped a shot earlier today:
the beast in duck alert mode @sprocketminpin twitter.com/shiboriboreali…
— (@shiboriborealis) May 5, 2013
So this gets us to noon.
And then I had one client pick up at 2, so I decided to relax in the back yard until she came and left. During this time, I caught up on the research one of our newest Ottawa Browncoats had been doing to help us prepare for the Panel we are presenting at next weekend’s Ottawa Comicon. She has been super helpful and I wanted to make sure I get started with organizing my thoughts at least.
Then, ya know, client – arrives, gets dress, pays me { YAY} goes away.
Next step: backyard pedicure. You don’t need photos of this. My feet take a beating and show it. so today they’ve been ground down to their freshest baby skin and stripped of old polish and allowed to breathe. ‘Nuff said.
So then I started looking at my fabrics for an upcoming outfit. Crowd Sourced opinions to make sure my choice was not too dark for attending a wedding!
Final consensus via Twitter and Facebook- it should be fine!
After that I needed a nap – you feeling that coming on too as you read all of this?
After 30 minutes of futon/SprocketSnuggletime, I then cleaned up and got into one of my new dresses based on the pattern I used for my Level 3 sewing class:
Red floral print – photos in the future maybe – but comfy and flay – just what was needed on this hot May day!
Supper chez Tuckers in the Market for Linda’s Birthday and finally, a few moments outside the restaurant to watch the Engagement Ring Show:
Click here to see a short snippet of video
Now I am home and you can see why I had an amazing day but am not quite recharged. Time to have a quiet episode of Firefly with Wtl before bed to finish things off properly!
Posted in Just thinking out loud...., Personal time
Tagged SprocketMinPin, sunday off
Like many people, I struggle with nutritional choices, body image unhappiness moments and a larger than desired range of weight over the past 15 or so years.
Presently, based on my own average weight I am in my medium- large size range. Not as large as I have been, not quite midway to what I would accept as my “small” size of about 165 pounds ( which would still give me an unacceptable BMI- but I used to be able to maintain that weight during most of my 20s).
This week I made a few bad food choices so the scale scolded me this morning. But I am lacing up my shoes and taking the beast out for our morning walk before I am here all day seeing clients !
And for now, I have the most hair I have ever had!
I am blessed to live in a part of Ottawa that is close by a beautiful waterfront area and parks and wildlife is mainly small but loud – though some of the geese get pretty big. This morning’s walk was a gentle moment in time worth remembering….
A few hours later at about 10 a.m., as we were walking to our weekly Sunday brunch, this sound suddenly erupted into the air, making me need to yell to converse with my hubby who was walking right beside me.
This video was shot at 12 noon, so it’s actually 2 hours after the bells began. I cannot imagine how the folks who live near this church must suffer. It’s loud, I don’t care what purpose it serves, it does not need to go on for so long nor does it need to be that loud. If your parishioners are not on your mailing list, it’s because they know what time to show up for church!
Posted in Just thinking out loud...., Personal time
Tagged morning walk, noise pollution, peaceful Sunday
I do a lot. In my busy life, there are a few elements that could be misconstrued as, “ruts”. These often repeated, quietly low energy happenings are what keep me going.
Like Datenight:
We added some gingerbread coloured spice to Datenight back in late November 2012. Sprocket adds a bit of exercise.
“What, you need to go out again ?!”
But otherwise blends comfortably into the pattern established a few years ( decade?) back that WTL and I need to ensure at least 1 evening per week got us to just chill. Sometimes we get 2 nights in a row, and that’s awesome.
I also like having a generally settled schedule for my classes- it changes every season a bit depending on enrolment, but if time opens up due to a cancelled class, that’s gravy. I am self employed, but having a framework of steady commitment gives me some balance.
We also have an established summer vacation, which I equate yo going to our own nylon cottage for 3 weeks. We have been going up to our favourite park, choosing our favourite sites and settling in for over 16 years. Some might consider it a rut, since we are not open to giving it up. But seriously:
And realistically, I am open to change, but I am slowly learning when to hold fast to my own chosen comfort zones. They keep me happy, they allow me a basecamp feeling from which my new adventures can start.
No one knows what others need to keep sane, so remember to take care of your own, and respect that the “ruts” of others may be the only thing keeping them the cheerful folk they seem to be.
And if you don’t consider them cheerful now, imagine how bad it could get if you mess with their comfort zones!
Telling people to push their boundaries and get out of their comfort zones should be reserved for trainers and coaches who have been asked/ paid to say this to their clients.
And I am never talking about the obviously unhealthy habits that folks { including me} get stuck into, knowing the difference between a Chocolate addiction and a well deserved tradition, are very different.
I think I am REALLY looking forward to August this year!
Thanks to Linda who came out to brunch and had her pass out for the Signatures Craft Show that is happening at the Ottawa Convention Centre, I decided to join her for a $7 walkabout – good chance to chat while checking out the show.
I have had booths at a variety of shows over the years, from small craft shows in churches and community centres up to a full weekend booth at the National Women’s Show.
A few years back, after realizing my accounting skills were something I was choosing to ignore, I finally paid attention and realized that I would never make back the money invested in participating in these events. Not the way I work. More on that shortly….
I walked through the rows of gorgeous items today and was full of respect for these artisans. The workmanship goes beyond the actual products into the booth design, display elements, choice of booth staff, attitude and atmosphere. I know, I’ve been there.
They say, “You have to spend money to make money”. At some point, you have to see if you are actually making money or not. And the costs for being a part of this type of event, requires a lot of on site sales or preorders to ensure a reasonable ROI ( return on investment ).
Statement of the obvious, I know.
And yet, I forgot for years that my strength is custom work. I kept dabbling every few years in some sort of “ready-to-wear” type item, hoping it would sell itself on its own virtues. I have fabulous ideas, don’t get me wrong, and I make them very well.
What I really do well, is pick apart a client’s brain to find out what they want, and then make it happen for them. Whether it’s creating original pieces, providing intense bridal alterations or deep design renovations, as long as it is pretty and sparkly, I enjoy making someone’s vision come to life.
What I do not do fabulously well, is marketing and/or sales. I am “understated” at self promotion. I have reasonably informative websites, I have done a few fun videos, blog posts, and do my best to get ads up in local spots where I hope to get the word out.
Which all sounds like some good choices, but spending money to be at trade shows was a serious money pit for me, and it took me a while to realize it just wasn’t me.
I’ll not say never again, but for now, I don’t miss it at all.
The early arrival, the clamouring from a loading area to the display area, only to find that you though you would be able to art up suddenly won’t work and a trip to the nearest store is required, not missed at all.
Spending hours watching people avoid eye contact because they just want to look at your booth, but not be forced to talk to you, because they then would either have to explain why they are not stopping or buying, you can have it.
And I don’t miss the conversations that start with me explaining the fabulous virtues of whatever I am flogging at the moment only to end with, “yeah, my friend, sister, aunt, 2nd cousin twice removed sews/ does Bellydance/ eats bonbons and that’s why I don’t need to support your business…” .
That’s not actually how it goes, but I wanted to see if you were paying attention…
And so, full respect to all of you folk who work the trade shows in whatever capacity! I apologize that I don’t have the disposable income to buy your awesome stuff, but since I also am an artisan, I know you understand.
—
BTW- I look forward to seeing you all as you pop by the Ottawa Browncoats’ Booth at the May 10-13 Ottawa ComicCon! Good thing Linda will be there to do the selling part!!
Last year’s poster by Don McMillan:
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Posted in Just thinking out loud...., Personal time, sewing related
Tagged artisans, Craft shows, Inspiration
We used to have a Miniature Pinscher named, Boing.
She was about 10 years old when she went “over the rainbow bridge” as pet people say. That was almost 3 years ago. It took us a while to decide it was time to get another fur baby, and we knew we wanted to take in a rescue. so we searched out options on minpinerie.ca and sent in our application one fateful Friday in November 2012. Within less than 2 weeks, we met and welcomed a dose of whacky into our worlds.
We now have Sprocket, another Min Pin, who turned 1 in January.
She’s brilliant, creative, stubborn and awesome. Similar in some ways and totally different in others. and young. She’s at that age where her puppy looks are gone, she’s just straight up adorable min pin now. Quirky ears, crazy eyes and she tilts her head into the most adorable curious, “Aruu?” look almost 50 times a day. And it’s a challenge and a blessing.
She makes us laugh and she drives me insane.
OMG- Squirrels. I cannot get the camera phone out to get a shot of her interacting with the squirrels in our back yard, as she is pulling so hard I am afraid I am going to drop it. But imagine the sound of a little puppy screaming that she absolutely has to have that SQUIRREL NOW!!!! for 5 minutes straight. If you have heard how high pitched a human toddler can sound when having demanding moment, it sounds just like that. really.
She is training me as much as I am attempting to train her, and Tom is a human min pin himself, so they have an ongoing wackiness that also make me laugh and then drives me crazy.
So, if you are ever bored and need a chuckle, head over to see her blog. or follow her on twitter. Yeah, she’s a #dogthatblogs… Also check out her #lapdogDuJour pics – I think it’s cute…
And thanks to @rustylinda on twitter for this wordfoto:
—
This post actually was interrupted by in house crazy and @wtl mentioned it seemed unfinished when he read it last night. As in, ” You seemed to be trying to make a point, and then never did.”
Well…
Anyone who has met Sprocket, knows about the “JumpGrappleChew” greeting, the chew toys and the general insanity of a dog trying to climb onto your head, into your neck crevice, etc.
And they realize the training of a stubborn teenage can be very similar. Teens are brilliant, creative stubborn and awesome – and given time to show their true colours, they shine. Sprocket has shone since we first got her into our world, but also has those moments when I want to close the crate door and walk away. I actually do that for the safety of all concerned.
So kudos to parents of human teen, furry teens, and keep smiling when you can and lock them up when you need to!
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