July 23, 2008 I have been enjoying the company of these 2 lovely ladies for the past week, it has been great having them here. Sosi really missed my dad this visit, he chose to stay at home and tend to his garden. That gave her a chance to bond with my mom a bit more than usual, and that was nice to see. This was my grandmother's first visit to P.E.I., she loved everything about it. She was even talking about moving here! I can't get over how positive she is about everything. I guess that is the secret to living to 82 and looking that good. | July 8, 2008 For the past couple of mornings I have been working away in my studio on this special little piece for a friend. It has been a nice break from the contract work I have been up to my neck in for the past bit. I am loving the illustration work, but I have missed puttering around in my studio. This summer Sosi is getting babysat in the mornings at her school by one of her teachers. There are a few other kids there too, and she has been loving it. It is so nice to have the mornings to work and then to have the afternoons with Sosi. We have been having a great time together. I was nervous at first about not having the full day to work, but, it has been such a treat to have the afternoons off to relax with my little girl. I think being pregnant this time is really mellowing me out... and I like it. | July 4, 2008 I posted a picture of this custom painting a while back, and was mortified when someone brought it to my attention that the bee had no wings! I had already packed it up and sent it off to its happy new home. I am chalking this absentmindedness up to pregnancy brain. I've never had to have a painting sent back to me before. He arrived back last week and now is a happy owner of a fine pair of wings. Other than being a little flighty, this pregnancy is going really good so far. I am feeling much more accepting of all the changes this time around. My husband has even told me that he has never seen me so mellow (or maybe I am finally adjusting to "Island time"). One thing that is the same as last time though, is my total obsession with food. My mother-in-law (she has her own blog now, so cute!) sent me a link to a no knead bread making video yesterday ( I love bread). You can see it here. I instantly fell in love with Mark Bitten, the Minimalist cook at the NY times. I watched about 15 of his segments back to back . Everything looked so delicious (the asparagus risotto almost killed me...). I love his lazy yet very direct and no nonsense way of cooking. I sat there totally enthralled. My mouth began watering and my heart began to flutter at that thought of a man who could cook so effortlessly. It is not that I am hungry all the time, I just am SO INTO FOOD. It is all I really think about. O.K, now I gotta go eat something... pronto. subito. | June 24, 2008 Paul and I had an amazing night out Saturday night. We dropped Sosi off at her Auntie's and Uncle's for the evening. As soon as she was out of the car she ran off into the bushes to join her cousins and a gaggle of kids and never looked back. When we picked her up later that night, at 10:00, she was still going strong. She looked like she had the time of her life. We had the times of our lives too. We had a nice meal in town, then drove out to Georgetown for a taping of the Vinyl Café. I don't know how to explain my love for the CBC, I don't even understand it. It is just too strong and too deep. Maybe it comes from years of working with it playing it the background, or maybe from growing up with it always on in the kitchen. It has just always been there. CBC personalities are like celebrities to me. When we drove up to the King's Playhouse and I saw the CBC truck out front I think I actually giggled. And...the show did not disappoint! It was one of those rare moments in life where your excitement and anticipation about something are overshadowed by the real thing (it almost never happens). Stuart Maclean was amazing. It was mesmerizing to watch him spastically sway around the stage, words pouring out of him. The Dave and Morely story made me laugh so hard I cried, and then I really did cry when the lovely Catherine MacLellan took the stage and sang a song written about her late father. It was so great to see the workings behind that magical thing called radio. Sadly, we had to leave after the first show. As much as I wished we could have stayed, the most perfect moment of the whole night was the drive home. Through the amazing P.E.I countryside as the sun was setting, alone in the car with my sweetie, sharing a chocolate bar. It was one of those moments you remember forever. | June 16, 2008 I was trying to get a nice father/daughter picture for Father's Day, but when her hands on her hips like that you can't get her to do anything. So we got this, which I think it actually better. | June 11, 2008 Some paintings I just finished for a shop here in Charlottetown called Luna. It is located on the lovely Victoria Row. | June 9, 2008 It has been 6 months since we moved to Prince Edward Island from Vancouver. Maybe it has something to do with the extremely long winter, but It seems like we have been here much longer than that. Hard winters aside, I feel like we are settling in really well here. As much as I loved where we lived before, our little apartment in that great building in Vancouver, it feels so right to see Sosi running around in our backyard. She spends all day out there, digging holes, getting dirty, playing with the neighbour's dog. We are meeting people and slowly folks around town are recognizing us. I go to the farmer's market every Saturday. This past wekeend I was so happy when the grumpiest farmer, the one I could never crack, finally warmed up to me. We had friends over for dinner one night this weekend and Sosi and her friend, Lily (see photos above, taken by Lily's mom, a professional photographer) played so happily in the yard the entire time. It was lovely to have people over and to see Sosi so happy. We went for brunch on Sunday and bumped into a bunch of friends and ended up having brunch with them. It was great. These are the kinds of things I miss most about Vancouver and they are starting to happen more here. This town changes completely in the summer. It gets flooded with visitors, stores and restaurants open up that have been closed all winter. I can't wait to hit the beach with Sosi and enjoy everything this great place has to offer. Each day I miss Vancouver a little bit less and I feel like we have done the right thing a little bit more. | June 3, 2008 Some snapshots from my morning walk I take after after I drop Sosi off at school. I have become addicted to walking the boardwalk, the world is so beautiful in the morning. I find the sound of the waves very soothing and being in such a wide open space always leaves me in better spirits for the day. Sometimes I can even hear cows mooing from across the way. Coming back into the city is never jarring, but pleasant... most everyone who walks by says "hi" or at least smiles. | May 30, 2008 Here is Sosi "rocking out" on a recent trip we took to Halifax (she really likes that new Weezer song, and yes, she is hugging a bag of chips and a care bear). I think the biggest surprise of parenthood for me is has been that you can't mold or control what kind of kid you have. I thought Sosi would love everything I love, boy was I wrong about that! She loves Barbie and Dora, dolls, polly pockets, make up, nail polish and the colour purple (all things I do not love). She will tolerate books, but has told me they are "boring" (insert gasps here). However, she is sensitive and loving and her incredible imagination amazes me every day. Her capacity for remembering minute details often catches me off guard. She makes each day fun and exciting. Her sweet smiling face wakes me every morning and my love for her grows each day. She may be different from the child I imagined I would have, but she surpasses anything I could have ever dreamed up. In my heart I always wanted more kids, but I have cherished my sanity and sleep too much to take the leap into motherhood again. Life has finally balanced out for me. The 1 child family was working out nicely for us. Life has a different plan for me tho. We learned a few months ago that we have another little one on the way. We went this week to Halifax for an ultrasound. As I saw this little baby moving all around I fell instantly in love, all my fears and hesitations disappeared. This may not have been something I planned or decided for myself, but sometimes life has bigger and better plans for you than you have for yourself. | May 23, 2008 "Work/Life is a book celebrating Canadian illustration and photography. Unlike magazine awards annuals or traditional illustration directories that are little more than picture books, our publication delves into what fuels a creative life. Participants were interviewed about their creative focus and artistic technique as well as their inspirations and aspirations. Sketchbook pages, studio shots, inspirational objects and personal photography allow us to peek into their work and their lives." I am so excited to be part of this amazing project put together by Janine at the Uppercase Gallery in Calgary. The book looks beautiful. You can view a little preview of it here. (Scroll through, my pages are near the end) You can pre-order it at Uppercase's online shop, and if you are in the Calgary area there will be an exhibit and book launch on June 4. I wish I could be there! * Thank you all who left comments on my last post. You are all so supportive and kind. * | Blog Archives Copyright Lori Joy Smith 2003-2008. Please don't steal my stuff!