a simple craft

I love crafts, but i like simple ones..something where the process is creative yet not too tricky, so i can relax and not get frustrated..especially when children are involved! Its also nice to see a bit of the creator in the craft as well...not just Martha hiding in the glue and sparkles ;) Here is a craft idea that is simple and  chic with all of those beautiful colours...last year i thought i had bought some of these felted balls at a market, but it turned out they were dyed cocoons..strange but pretty.
Here is a link for the craft materials.

fab prints and toothpaste

 I just got up and noticed Ruben had been brushing his teeth with toothpaste...Scott's toothpaste, the flouride type...i was panicked thinking about all the paste he'd probably just eaten, and then i thought about how toothpaste was one of my favorite snacks as a kid, and i lived...and i realized that he's not yet smart enough to squeeze, so he couldn't have gotten that much. I love these prints from http://www.riflepaperco.com/ .

Christmas spirit anyone?

Christmas can be such a sad time for so many people, and i fall into a melancholy mood every single year since i was about 12. Its really hard to enjoy what my own family has, without looking around to see what others don't have. I am trying to focus on what i can do, and not allow myself to be taken over by what i can't change. Here are some things that i can do:

1. Be thankful always.

2. Give my time to certain community services (Salvation Army), or people i know who need help and friendship.

3. Do not be a crazy consumer..it only makes me feel worse, and doesn't benefit anyone. Carrying a light load gives room for other experiences.

4. Pray. It really does have power, i have experienced it many times over.

5. Practice surrender everyday. Jesus never asserted his rights and neither should i.

6. Have positive boundaries. I will not have to assert my rights if i have proper boundaries in the first place.

On another note...i sure do love this ribbon...i'm wrapping my gifts this year with mostly newspaper, and this ribbon would be a perfect addition.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/applesandeggs

flippin cute!

hello my friends

Updates:

1. My dentist was awesome...told me that "we're going to take it slow since we just met, and that we're dental dating right now, so you can relax"...dental phobia is 1/8th of what it was.

2. The raw food challenge went to the wayside end of November...who was i kidding? All raw till Christmas Eve...yeah right. ( I'm planning to start in January though...around Jan.2nd(ish) unless there happens to be cake around ;)

3. Ovio Christmas party was a fun, relaxing time with friends...thanks for coming!!! New website will be up very soon since my good friend Lenna shot some super creative photos of the products.

4. I am off to have an amazingly delish meal for my health food store staff party...Rick (former owner of Oops cafe) is cooking, and i'm going to eat every scrap.

5. I have a crazy addiction to grande americano mistos, with soy and half sweet gingerbread syrup...please make it stop.

6. I need birth stories people! E-mail me @ abarker54@gmail.com . I'm planning on posting a birth story at  least once a week.

7. is my favorite number . Ciao!

beautiful birth story

My Journey to a VBAC from Lindsey Meehleis on Vimeo.

dental fear..

I hate going to the dentist...i never used to though, especially when i lived in Strathmore and would travel all the way into Calgary to see a holistic dentist who would sing along with opera while drilling into my teeth, .. he was cute, so i put up with it. Since then i have been to 5 dentists (all in Kamloops)..yes, 5..most of the time they never got past my first initial meeting. They were either not very nice, too rough, told me my teeth were big (um, really? 'cause i thought they were small...doesn't everyone have 2 giant chiclet sized teeth?), or still used those damned mercury fillings. And, if they got the privilege of drilling into my teeth, they had better not touch a nerve or put the needle in wrong, or they'd be fired. But now, i have a broken tooth...and i need it fixed...and it actually hurts more not going to the dentist, than going and dealing with it there for a short period of time. I have a sort of 'plan of action' when i go, i tell them how sensitive my teeth are, and i tell them not to touch them with that poking piece of metal horror..and then i pinch my hand really hard when they insert the needle. My hand has actually gone numb from me pinching it so hard. All this comes from having a dentist that did work on me without freezing me properly, it felt like i was being tortured, and he wouldn't stop...i even yelled "dish ish worsh dan childbirf!!"  So tomorrow i meet yet another one, and i'm going to try and be relaxed and not give him directions, and just go with the flow....BTW, i had gotten an appointment with a certain dentist here that someone told me was the hottest guy in Kamloops, (after i had made the appointment)..so i cancelled that one...