Old House.

 Every house has monsters and ghosts in it, you know. So maybe they're not the ghosts you think of in the conventional sense, but neither are ours. Ghosts of dreams, hopes, expectations ... Shadows of fantasies and traces of memories ... 

 Yesterday I went on a walk on the grounds of the building Daddy's been working in ... the headquarters. I came across this old house; the kids say it's haunted. I heard they're going to empty it and tear it down soon, so I took a couple of photos of it while it still stands hoarding all of its debris. 

 I could've asked for its story .. but reality would have been reasonable and I preferred to let my imagination go wild ....

... it had such a lovely view... 

I didn't get too close because I only like windows when I'm inside and sunlight is pouring in... When I'm outside or when it's dark, I don't look in or out windows because something or someone will peer back at me. I'm serious.

Face?

Good-bye old house ... 

The time has come for you to start anew ... tear down the walls, clear out the space inside, 

open the windows and let a fresh new world in ... 

time to begin again ... 

Pau Hana?

Again linking up with Tania for "Just Another Photo Challenge".

 Do you know what Pau Hana means? Tania explains it as "quitting time" as in after work. Wanna know what I did this week after work (school work for me)? I traveled. Wanna know why? Because of work. Our parents are both on a business trip in Virginia so Victor and I came along because homeschooling is flexible like that. 

 We left Abbotsford at 2:30 a.m. Pacific Time and drove to the Sea-Tac airport. Connection after connection, delayed flight resulting in delayed flight and lots of running .. But finally at two a.m. Eastern Time we were finally at our destination and ready for sleep. So that's what we did this week .. after work. We traveled across the country. For more work.

What do you do after work, after quitting time?

September TidBits.

Because not everyone has Twitter. 

Because 140 characters is too limiting. 

Mom and dad are out house hunting. I probably should have gone with them. But I heard its painful.

Dear tastebuds. October is around the corner. In other words, prepare for apples, cinnamon and pumpkin.

So the chilly autumn air goes around loosening all the padlocks that were keeping Christmas carols hidden away for the season. Too bad. Now they're running around rampant and dancing in my head ... " ... bringing the cheer to young and old, meek and the bold, la-dee-dee-daa"

University visit today: 
Admission's Counselor: "That's a big bag. You must get stuff lost in it all the time, I know I would."
 I just chuckled politely and nodded mutely because if she really must know that was one of my smaller bags. I mean, how else are you supposed to walk around with a mini first aid kit, an emergency "oh-my-goodness-it's-that-mean-girl-must-look-amazing kit", phone, wallet, journal, pens, pencils, candy, and a whole assortment of who knows what? This is the bag she's talking about: I mean, it's not thaaat big. Ok. Maybe it is. Kinda large. Maybe. But it beats the time I walked around with a bag bag. As in three times that big bag. Oh yes. I did.  

"A writer lives, at least, in a state of astonishment. Beneath any feeling he has of the good or evil of the world lies a deeper one of wonder at it all. To transmit that feeling, he writes." -William Sansom

You know when you're baking wonderfully soft, chewy cookies and suddenly while they're cooling they decide to become almond brittle consistency instead? Yeah. I hate that.

Overheard in the "Specialty Foods" aisle at a grocery store:
Wife - "Hmm... should we take some of these?"
Husband - *sigh* "Just take normal food."

(From that walk on Labor Day. That picture I told you to look closely at..)
Seen in the park yesterday:
A couple with a toddler and a dog.
The father pushed the stroller.
The mother held the leash.
The dog was in the stroller.
The toddler was on the leash.

Mkay. I've got a composition on shoes under my belt, now I just need one on how MacBeth is a tragic hero. Because obviously that'll make me well rounded in writing abilities. Or if I continue this pre-composition writing scenario of stuffing my face with cake and tea, just well rounded.

Sometimes I write Pinterest multiple times just to get on auto correct's sassy little nerves. I'm a bad girl like that.

Why haven't they figured out a m1 m2 m3 function for copying and pasting?

Today I went to the doctor. I actually didn't loathe him. Wanna know why? He knew that in Brazil we speak Portuguese not Spanish/Brazilian!

Kassi M. ‏@kassarie

Just gave up on a comment after trying their word verification twice... PLEASE get rid of it friends.... #blogadvice

I killed a spider today. Killed it myself. With my own shoe! Yep. I should get a Braveness Award or something.

Missing a stack of stationary paper. How does one simply "misplace" a whole stack of paper?! Seriously.. I must have a disorder...

Peace.

A post for Maui Shop Girl's "Just Another Photo Challenge" 

Theme: Peace

Two. Your hands pat a steady rhythm on my back keeping time as you hummed a lullaby.

I watched the curtains softly dance on the breeze till my eyelids unconsciously droop and close.

Peace.

Five. I jolt awake and shudder with a start. Your arms are there steadily pulling me back down.

"It's just a dream," you whisper half awake as I roll over and sigh back into sleep.

Peace. 

Eight. You lift me off the couch and tuck me into my bed, smoothing back the wild hair. 

You turn on the nightlight and make sure the stuffies are far away so as not to start a fire. Again. 

Peace. 

Eleven. I tiptoe into your room. I'm scared. I slip into your bed. 

You sigh and roll over to make a bit of room and hand me a corner of the covers.

Peace.

Fourteen. It's dawn and you're making sure I'm warm enough. You turn off the flashlight in my hands.

Close the book that is poking my side, untangle the covers and tuck me in again.

Peace.

Seventeen. You take the phone out of my hands and put away the finished book, navigating your

way around legos, journals, books, university letters and applications just to hear us breathing.

Peace.

Seventeen point five. Of different things, but I'm still scared. I tiptoe into your room. I slip into your bed. 

You roll over to make a bit of room and hand me a corner of the covers. We talk. I'm better now. 

Peace.

DIY Fabric Covered Notebook.

Around five or so years ago, I received a fabric covered notebook for my birthday from a couple in our congregation. It was honestly my favorite journal. It's beautiful and embroidered with Indian swirls and patterns. I dubbed it my quote book and filled it with random passages, quotes, poems, magazine clippings etc. throughout the years. Now? It's kinda full. And um .. falling apart. 

But I love my quote book. So I decided to make a Quote Book II. I'd make my own this time. Sort of. I'd cover it myself, that is. I remembered a notepad my aunt gave me once for me to write down notes in church. She had covered it with a scrap piece of fabric and cross-stitched my name to it ( I regret not having photos of these examples, however, they're in boxes under boxes somewhere in the great unknown ...). I thought I'd do a variation of that.

I bought a composition notebook at the dollar store and dug out the left over fabric piece from that "The Wind Blew Her Hair" project. (I promise I'm working on a sequel. I found the right place, but I need to go there again. It's a few hours away.. so bear with me.)

Got my glue gun and a few left over sparkly embellishments from the Truly Lovely project .. and got to it.

Wanna cover up a journal of your own with me? Ok. Let's get to it.

Confession #1. Cutting only a fraction of the fabric and 

ripping it apart the rest of the way makes me feel like an awesome

 seamstress who actually knows what she's doing. 

(Please excuse that crazy "of" that's not supposed to be there.)

Before you glue on the shiny stuff, make sure to 

open the book and check that it's not upside down. 

(Confession #2. Might have found that out the hard way. Might have.)

Confession #3. My Brazilian nickname is Lari. No you may not call me 

by that name because you will pronounce it Larry. No. Don't. Please. Just. Don't. *sigh*

It's really quite easy and fun too. I've already begun filling it up, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave some quotes/passages/verses/poems in the comments. (:

Mill Lake for Labor Day.

 Ok so it's been almost a week. But last Sunday we went to Mill Lake for a picnic. I think Mill Lake is probably the place I have most photographed in my life. But I can't help it, going there without a camera just seems wrong.

 After our picnic we went around the lake.. . . It was nice to go out to the park for the last couple of times before it gets too chilly and the geese leave and the trees go bare. ..

 I honestly never knew nor thought that the grass would get so dry and brown here in Abbotsford. Here. Abbotsford. The place that rain never ceases to fall! Guess it did this year...

The kid's shoes .. scooters ... 

Throughout the park there are a couple of tree stumps that have been cut to form seats... I do believe that's very practical. .. (:

Please take a good look at the photo above ... a good long look.... 

Hope last weekend was lovely for you too, and that this weekend is even better. (: