What to buy for people who are hard to buy for: a tutorial

It's coming up to the 10th anniversary of the first date that The Guy and I ever went on.

So cute and young.

Ten years. That seems like a long time and yet not long enough. I feel like we've been together for a long time and also not that long.

Time is weird. Also, now I have to get a gift for him.

I've got a dilemma.

What do I get the guy who doesn't need or want anything?

The Guy's answer? "Truck parts"

I'm not buying trucks parts. Maybe for our "chrome" anniversary. Wait... I just realized 10 years is the tin/aluminum year. Ugh. 

But I've been thinking about our date-iversary and what I want to get The Guy. So, when UncommonGoods contacted me and offered me a chance to review their site and get a bit of money for it so I can buy something, I jumped at the chance. 

What's so good about UncommonGoods?

Well, my favourite thing is in their mission statement. UncommonGoods are "making sustainability a part of every decision we make" and are "working to make UncommonGoods more environmentally friendly, [and] socially responsible."

Honestly, with all the things going on in the world today, I have been trying to make better decisions about my purchase choices. Sustainability, environmentally friendly, and socially responsibility is where I've been focusing.

I'm serious. Read the mission statement.

Presents for the guy who has it all

I got lost in the rabbit hole of awesome gifts for everyone I know, but I focused on gifts that are good for guys and gifts to commemorate anniversaries of all kinds. (I also looked at things for the dog... Monty's been in this relationship too!!)

Alcohol Options

The Guy likes a good beer. He's a bit of a beer aficionado and so I always know that beer is always a good gift for him. When I saw I could narrow down my recommendations to beer related, I was pretty stoked.

I figured I could take one of everything, but these were my two favourites. The Guy has always loved Guinness beer so this kit would be a neat way to explore that. The glass set is a perfect co-gift. Wade likes beer and I like wine!

Irish Stout Beer Brewing Kit and Personalized Tree Trunk Glassware Duo
All photos source UncommonGoods

Travel related gifts

We love to travel all over the place. I swear, if we had all the money in the world, we would never come home. UncommonGoods has some awesome travel themed presents for everyone.

Personalized Anniversary Pushpin World Map and Hand Embroidered City Pillows

I'd love to have a map where we could keep track of all the places we have been and where we want to go. I've also started buying pillow covers respresenting each of our travel destinations, so the hand-made cover would be perfect!

Home decor options

I am always on the lookout for home decor stuff. So, with the great decor options for the home from UncommonGoods, I couldn't resist.

Handmade Rock and Vine Lamp and Kissing Lovers Sculpture

I cannot stand the lamp that is in The Guy's office, so I love the idea of replacing it with this awesome handmade lamp. And what can I say about the statue. It is so beautiful and I can think of all the places it would look perfect in our house.

Now, I will link The Guy to options for me! Anniversary gifts that a woman in your life would love.

My first attempt at designing a knitting pattern

I bought a new dress awhile ago and looked everywhere for a little shrug to go with it. The dress is a super cute striped dress with an Empire waist. I need a sweater with it just for comfort sake but all I had were regular sweaters that hit mid-hip. Super cute in my regular life, but not so much in fancy life.

I searched for a shrug that would work, but couldn't find anything in the colours I wanted. I'm a knitter, so I thought "I'll just make one!" I looked for yarn I thought would work and ordered.

When it arrived, I loved it and thought that it would be close enough to work. I couldn't find any pattern that fit exactly what I needed, so I thought "I'll just make one!"

I even used my fancy Tardis notebook!

I drew up what was in my imagination of the perfect little shrug and then looked for ideas on how to bring it into life.

I should be stopped.

I went to the magical internet, and found a lovely site with all the math needed to make the sweater I wanted. I wrote all the instructions down (for posterity) and then set about measuring myself and doing math.

The one spelling correction still bothers me

There was a lot of cursing and crying. That was just while I did the math!!

Once it was all ready, I went to town. I started it hoping I would be able to wear it while we were in Hawaii (that was November). However, I never thought about the fact I was using a 3.75mm needle (that's pretty small for non-knitter-folk) and it would end up being over 200 stitches per row.

So, after I threw a fit and didn't want to look at it for a few months, I picked it up again. I had 4 days of meetings to go to and figured I should have something to do so I didn't fall asleep.

I finished it in record time.

Pretty, pretty.

There was just one small problem.

It didn't fit.

It was okay right up until the band under my boobs.

You know, the most important part. The part that holds everything in place and makes sure the sweater does not end up under my armpits.

That band. Right there.

So, I ripped it out.

I had a co-worker once who banned me from knitting in front of her because she could not bear to see me work for 4 hours and then rip it all out to the beginning. I thought of her as I ripped out over 700 stitches.

I redid the math of measurements and stitches and all that noise and started over. I decreased the sweater band down to what I thought was a perfect size.

I finished it. I put the buttons on it. I thought I had it.

I know better.

It didn't fit.

So, rather than cry and burn the entire thing, I calmly set it down on a chair for a few days. I thought about it, grabbed some sewing elastic I had on hand and set myself down to tack it on.

ALL. HAND. STITCHED.

It is all complete now and I can wear it.

It just doesn't match the dress.

The tale of two closets: when custom isn't always better.

When people ask me if I'm excited about being in my new house, I end up just staring at them.

How do you explain that you don't have time to be excited because you're too busy trying to get them to come back and fix all the things they didn't do right the first time?

Here is a tip: don't ask that question.

Now that we have been in the house almost two months, we are getting more settled and some of the kinks are being worked out.  But it wasn't always such smooth sailing. (She says with her tongue in her cheek.)

Custom closets?

When we decided we wanted to include a walk in closet in our master suite, we wanted it to be perfect. I wanted two layers of hanging bars - one for shirts, one for pants - and a section for my dresses.  I wanted a tall thin tower of shelves for folded clothes, space for my shoes, and a large wall for my jewelry that I swear I will someday not be too lazy to wear.

We talked to our contractor. He really seemed to get what we wanted and promised he would have the closet built custom so we would have strong wood shelves and it would look really slick. We said not to worry - we would be happy with a great organization kit from a local store - but he assured us that custom was the bomb.

Okay, he didn't say that. I did.  I am not cool or hip.

Regardless, the closet was something I dreamed about for months. It is 12 feet deep and 6 feet wide and would be all manners of awesome.

And then we hung things up.

Short comings

Yup. That's our closet.
Even Monty is sad

The Guy's shirts hung 4 inches onto the floor. His pants hung 2 inches on the floor. On the top rung, not even my shirts could be hung without dragging on the shelf below.

The tower of shelves was over a foot and a half wide and had 2 shelves.  TWO.

It was a disaster.

The closet I had been organizing in my mind for months was completely unusable. Don't get me wrong, it looked great.  Until you actually hung clothes in there.

The Guy spoke with the contractor who agreed to have the carpenters come back and fix the closets (the downstairs suite closet was also this short) so they would be useable.

Eventually.

A month later, they arrived.  They assured us that the 27" from hanging bar to floor was standard. The 30" from hanging bar to shelf was ample.

May I point out that the contractor, the carpenter, and the helper were all shorter than my 5'10" (and three quarters) by quite a bit?

Yeah.

It might be standard heights in the 1800s but it sure isn't now. Not with The Guy topping 6'5".

Reparation

They tore the closets out and fixed them. The tower now has 4 shelves.  The clothes have space to hang. There is room for a shoe rack (I installed after I took these pictures) and all our clothes fit.

Everything I wanted.  Blurry and badly lit.

The painter has to come back and redo the whole room, but I can use it. It will be the closet I wanted.

Though, I still think the pre-fab one might have been a touch easier.

My summer vacation: friends, family, and farts

Unintentional hiatus 

It's been almost a month to the day since I wrote anything that was for fun. Apart from my usual Facebook statuses (Bronwyn_MayB) I haven't put pen to paper (well, fingers to keyboard) to write my thoughts, my stories, or my insanity.

I did write a 60 page report for an Agency review. So, there is that.

But it just doesn't have the same feel. Or the same sarcasm.

They frown against that in the professional world. Bah.

Inspiration, but no time

I've been writing in my head the whole time. Brilliant and witty pieces about my life, my dog, and my house.  However, between the house guests, a friend's wedding, a week away, a visit with Grandma, and actually writing words about the research I've been doing for months, I haven't been able to share them.

Here are some highlights:

• My friend Jamie drove my father and my step-mom from Calgary to Regina and she's still speaking to me. 

• My dad stayed with us for a whole week and I'm still speaking with him

• My dad stayed with us for a whole week and The Guy is still speaking to me

Photo by Ky
Dad, Tanya, Lil E, and Monty

• My step-mom made the greatest borscht in history and I will eventually share her recipe here

• My sister came to visit me and we had all the fun

• I passed a group of pre-teen boys lined up along a wall and when they pretended I had farted I did not defend myself even though I was incensed! (Had I farted, I would have laughed uproariously because they were all sitting in prime fart trajectory)

• My closet was redone (almost complete) and the deck is now done (except for rails... don't fall) and someday this house will be done

• My sister Ky and I visited Grandma who knew who we were until she nodded off for 5 minutes. I'm not sure who was more freaked when she woke up thinking strangers were in her room!

photo by Ky

I'm trying to be back now. Writing more often and getting my life back on track now that I don't have 3,004,524 things to do. We shall see. I do have one main task to complete...

Napping.

Final 50 pictures: 100 happy days in 120 days or less

A long time ago, I did the top pictures of my first 50 days of the #100happydays project. I showed pictures of The Guy and Monty, shots of the house build, of walks in the winter, and of Lil E.

Spring

When I left you last, I ended with the picturesque shot of spring coming to the land. It was a slow spring and 27 days later, I was able to break out of my winter boots into something more fun.

Two days later, I was back in winter boots.

Day 52                                                                                     Day 79

Signs of spring: water channels

Cool kicks bringing in spring!

It is now happily spring, loping towards summer, and I couldn't be happier with the warm weather gracing our presence again.

House progress

The house had started to take shape in the first 50 days and continues to edge towards completion. Our move in date was this weekend, but while our belongings and tenants (hi Sister-wife!) are in, we are not yet.

Here it is starting to shape up into a real house -- inside and out.

Day 56                                                                                       Day 88

WE HAVE DRYWALL!!

We have siding!

I'm in love with the interior, the exterior, the possibilities of decorating each room to my exact liking. I am impatient, but happy with what will be awesome eventually.

Day 87

Reminding myself why the house is worth the wait

Day 97                                                                                           Day 99

The backsplash as it is installed

Fireplace stone is in!

My dog, my companion

I have been thankful everyday for my silly little dog. On days when I am grumpy, sad, hurt, or happy as all heck, he is there making every day better. When he got hurt this spring, it made me realize how much I relied on him just for snuggles alone.

Day 60                                                                                          Day 74

My cuddle bug.

Morning cuddles with my puppy

A few weeks rest and he was back to his old self. Trouble.

Day 80

The dog busied himself while I did outdoor yoga

Keeping busy

I started yoga in April and found a way to centre, re-focus, and get my body healthier. After my back injury in March, it was exactly what I needed.

Day 69                                                                                          Day 70

First day at yoga class!

View from the yoga studio

Toddler madness

I have continued to enjoy hanging out with Lil E as often as I can. I love watching her go from baby, to not-a-baby, to little person.  She's a hoot and I am thrilled to watch her grow up!

Day 75

Lunch w my favourite toddler

Day 96

Lil E wearing the sweater I made her

New animal friends, continued travels, and surprise presents

My last days of the 100 day challenge was spread over a few more than I expected. I intended to keep up with the every day, but grumpiness and busyness vied for my attention.

I did have great interactions with two animals named Stella.

One, the cat Stella, my office mate and I rescued. She was tiny and starving, but she flourished in cat foster care and will be causing all manners of mischief with her new family soon.

The second, french bulldog Stella, is the dog of my friend. She is ridiculous and has painted nails. I love her wrinkles.

Day 73                                                                                         Day 92

Stella the rescue cat!

The wrinkles on this dog

I travelled back to Melfort area a couple of times. Once I got stuck in the mud, the other I enjoyed the skies as I made it home before the storm.

Day 77                                                                                          Day 95

My knight in shining tow truck

Good scenery on a boring highway

After joking that I would need to try and convince The Guy to buy this print for me, he actually went and surprised me with it weeks later.

Day 63

My new painting!

Then, last week a friend - for whom I made a hat this winter - sent me the greatest thank you gift! Home-made quilted coasters and a little wall hanging!

Day 100

Great gift in the mail from a new friend

All in all, it's been a great 100 (well, 120) days.


Day 62

Wearing purple for my friend, Dawsyn,
in honour of Seizure Awareness Day.

My life in places: North Battleford Church Camp

Yesterday, I described my childhood home and what it meant to me.

Today, I want to tell you about my home away from home. North Battleford, Saskatchewan.

Church Camp

I have to admit, when you think of a great place that impacted every moment of your life, North Battleford is not the place you normally go to first.

It is a small city (two small cities, really) on the road to nowhere.  It is a beautiful community with lots of greenery, a river flowing through it, and the worse options of restaurants in the province.

I mean, unless Pizza Hut and A&W are your thing.  Then you're golden.

For my family, North Battleford was the epicentre of our summers.  It was not the town itself; it was the little section of land off Airport Road where we grew up: Sharon Schools.

Originally grounds housing a bible school and orphanage, this quiet little community made up of old airplane hangers and pilot barracks holds church camps at least twice a year.  My grandparents moved there in the 60s to take over supervising the orphanage and never left.  Grandma stayed nearly 50 years until we had to move her to a care home in Lloydminster.

Family

My mother grew up here.  Her childhood is here.  My grandparents adopted my two uncles and all but adopted my auntie.  They impacted more lives than we can ever know with their love and open door.  My grandpa built the hockey rink every winter and tended flowers every summer.  My grandma spent time in the gardens.

Every hug my grandfather ever gave me is here.

Every piece of advice my grandma gave is here.

My family spent a lot of time there and it is where my heart feels at peace.

The church at Sharon Schools.  Where my mom and dad got married.

As I planned to write this piece, I looked through all my photos for pictures to show.  I have none.  I went online and found some a friend had taken and he graciously allowed me to use them here.  Of course, he has none of my Grandparent's home, but he looked for me.

Sometimes, you are in a place so long, you forget that you might want to see pictures of it in your future.

Every year for a weekend at Easter and a week in July, between 300 - 500 people arrive to go to church meetings.

Togetherness

Everyone stays in the dorms that boast retro décor -- retro meaning that everything is from the 40s.  Not much has changed except the mattresses are no longer stuffed with straw.

We all go to church twice a day, eat together at the dining hall, play sports on one of the many areas dedicated to it, sit around the camp-fire, snack at the canteen, and soak up as much time with each other as possible.

The H building (it's built in the shape of an H -- clever) and the men's dorm.

The girls all stayed in the girl's dorm at the far east end of the grounds.  From 13 years to married, we all crowded into 6 rooms with two plug ins and one mirror each.  One large bathroom to share and a furnace room that held all late night conferences.

I have so many great memories of that place -- staying up all night talking, singing as loud as we could, exchanging clothes, and laughing past lights out until the dorm mothers came to yell at us.

Grandma

Once I was too old for the dorm, but not yet married (stupid old person biases on the importance of having a man in your life bollocks!!) I returned to my grandma's home during those weeks.

It was then I got to rekindle my relationship with Grandma.  She has provided me with a lot of amusement, wonder, frustration and love.

The main road from the centre of the grounds looking west.

This small area outside of the little city has been where I have experienced so much.

I have met life long friends, most of my old boyfriends, and people who have been my mentors and guides. It has been a part of my life before I had life and will continue to be important to me for many years to come.

I know every inch of this land and have spent hours exploring every building and piece of grass.

It is the home of my family.  The home of my friends.

It is where I know I belong.


****************************
Please note: all photos used here have been generously provided by my friend Dale.  He's a good chap.

Our impromptu trip to the spa

This weekend was the weekend we were supposed to move into our new house. This was four months delayed from our signed contract - the "if nothing goes wrong" date.

Between delayed approval for plans, -50 degree C temperatures, absent plumbers, part time flooring guys, etc, etc, etc, we are a long way from moving in. The quality of the work is great, the timeliness? Not so much.

Remarkably, it still looks much like this.

When we realized we were (and frustratingly enough still are) not going to be moving in anytime soon and had booked holidays we couldn't cancel, we decided we needed to do something else.

We had a gift certificate to a Mineral Spa in a nearby town. We booked last minute for Sunday night - a jacuzzi room with a free breakfast and full use of the mineral pools. With my back trouble (especially how badly I wretched it last week again) and The Guy working hard and stressing about the house build, we needed the relaxation.

Our bed and complimentary robe

The only big surprise was that EVERYONE ELSE had the same idea. Every old person, parent with a child under 3, and stranger from another land had descended on the pool. I did run into a friend there, so that was a bonus!

We lounged at the pool for awhile, soaked our troubles away, and had the rest of the afternoon to while the hours. We wandered through the city and marvelled in the beauty (though - every store was closed!)

A beautiful staircase

I was captivated by this church.

We returned around lunch today and both felt better and more relaxed.

That was... until we went to the new house.

Well, I wanted a change

In January, I wrote about my word for the year: change. I'd had a rough fall which had been preceded by a tough couple of years. I needed something to be different and I decided it was going to be me.

Well, I asked for it.

This angel knew I was asking for it
(via)

Things at work have changed for the better for the most part.

I am loving my new assignment and really feel like I'm doing something worthwhile.  I am a little overwhelmed at times and am putting in a lot of hours, but for the most part, I think I could be good at it.  There are still a lot of things there that need to change, but I'm more positive than I have been in a long time there.

I am excited to go to work again.

The contract work is a lot tougher than I thought. I can do it, but am at times overwhelmed by the incredible amount of data I need to go through and somehow shape into a cohesive, concise, and helpful evaluation. I head back out to the community this week for two days of festivities, interviews, and more information.  It's due in June and I am going to be pulling a few all nighters.

My dad says that our family only finds inspiration in looming deadlines.  He's not wrong.

The house is getting closer and closer every day. It cannot come soon enough for me, but I am trying to be patient. Things beyond anyone's control keep cropping up and just when I think we will have a date to move in, it becomes less concrete.  I have gone from being frustrated at the delays to thinking it's the nicest house I will NEVER EVER GET TO LIVE IN.

Left: upstairs cupboards in the evening
Right; basement cupboards in the afternoon 

The basement kitchen is almost ready to go, but the upstairs counter tops are coming much later. That's what I get for upgrading. If I'd gone with laminate, it would be ready by now.

It is going to be so pretty. It's worth it all.

Or so I repeat, in a mantra, to myself.

I am still going to yoga a couple of times a week. I find it so necessary. It gives me time to centre and realign myself. I need a focused time to unfocus myself. I have a huge crush on one of my instructors and want to be best friends with another. I am still a little out of place with the Lulu lunch crowd, but I don't even care.

Contemplation
(pic taken in Havana)

I need a moment when I'm not overwhelmed by the volume of all that I have going on.

I guess that's the thing about change that I didn't think about.

Change is an action.

Change is exhausting and overwhelming and exciting. It takes over and demands your attention. Life will be different and it's making damn sure you recognize that fact. It means to make or transform and neither of those things are passive.

So, despite truly loving my leisure time, I'm finding I'm moving more often than not. I still need quiet times so I don't burn out, but I have things going on.

When I'm not totally freaking out, it's a great feeling.

The return of Thankful Thursday: Big Al, Stella, and siblings

After a hiatus last week, I wasn't sure I was going to be up for being thankful today. However, a lot of things made me smile today, so I thought I would share it.

1. My Dad and Tanya took a trip to see my sister, Lyn, and did all the touristy things while looking all touristy. I adore this picture of them.
   
   

   

   Tanya with Big Al at Big Ben

   
   
2. For a glorious hour tonight, I had a kitten. I named her Stella because she's lived a hard life, but is still beautiful.  She has gone to visit the vet and get her ear mites and stuff all checked out before she goes into foster care. ** edited: I just heard she will likely be fostered by a good friend of mine! I get to visit her all the time!!!!!
   
   

   

   Stella, the rescue cat

   
   The Guy texted me after he saw my many pictures of her on Facebook with one line "No, you can't keep her."  He's mean.
3. It is national sibling day. I'm pretty lucky to have a crazy bunch of siblings. Even though we are all over the world, we rock.
   
   

   

   Me and my bro - matching red velour

   

   Precious little sisters are SOOO big

   
   
4. Yoga has been life changing. I go a few minutes early and get myself calmed and relaxed. I sit in the quiet and warmth thankful for where I am. It helps me calm in the chaos that is everything else.  


5. I am thankful for my coworkers and my husband. When I am at my worst, they support me anyway.

Seven years and no itch in sight

Seven years ago, I was complaining about how much I hated dating. I fervently wished someone would just arrange a marriage for me so I didn't have to think about it.

Then I went for coffee with The Guy.

We were so young!

I liked him - he was tall and funny - but I was sure the world would stop spinning and birds would sing as soon as I met "the one" so I didn't know if I was convinced.

I was so naive.

The thing was: I couldn't stop thinking about him. He was funny and interesting and after a few dates I knew he was pretty special.  I realized I didn't want him NOT to be in my life.

I think back to that girl I was back then. Scattered, emotionally damaged, wandering but on a holding pattern, and, honestly, a bit of a tool.

The Guy had a lot to do with me calming down and getting more focused. He helped me relax and be more comfortable with who I am, so I'm not so worried about being silly.  I am a better person now because he has been in my life and I like to think he's better too.

That's what the me of 7 years ago didn't get.  Love isn't about earth shaking and harps playing - it's about two people who make each other better versions of themselves. It's about little things every day that show love and appreciation.

2014 - it's our year

I'm glad that girl smartened up. I'm glad she took a chance.  

I'm reaping the benefits.

And there are still a lot more to come.