about meme

Besides winning my contest, Catie tagged be for a meme a few days ago. So here goes...

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing ten years ago?
I was 20, and in my second year of university (UNBC in Prince George) studying Plant Science. If I remember right, I was taking courses like Invertebrate Zoology, Ecology, and Plant Biology. At this point I was still very shy and dressed kind of nerdy, although I had finally gotten rid of my huge ugly glasses.

2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:
One: read blogs
two: plant herbs
three: read a book (Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett)
four: make supper (use parsnips and jerusalem artickokes from the farmer's market)
five: watch a movie (either Blade Runner or Much ado about Nothing).

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Popcorn, fresh and dried fruit, chocolate, extra-yummy and fatty yogurt

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
This would be a combination of practical and charitable. First, buy a house near the ocean or a lake with enough land to start a farm so we could be self-sufficient (meanwhile learning how to farm). Next, invest enough money to keep us comfortably and help out family. Last, invest in organizations that I think will really help people, such as providing clean water and sanitation, developing drought-resistant crops, producing clean-burning cooking fuel, stuff like that.

5) Places I have lived:
I grew up in Fruitvale, BC. I went to university in Prince George, BC, spending some summers working in places like Crawford Bay and Fort St. James. I lived in Pyongchang, South Korea, for 2 weeks (I was supposed to be there a year - long story). I lived in Sidney, BC, for a few months, then went back to Prince George for graduate studies. Finally I made it to Montreal, and I've been here about three and a half years.

6) Jobs I have had:
Babysitter; prep cook and dishwasher in a summer camp, Chinese restaurant, and a golf resort restaurant; greenhouse worker at garden centres; research assistant; teaching assistant; gardener; and now a toy designer.

7) Peeps I want to know more about:
Tania
Amanda
Allison

I know I should tag more, but I don't comment often enough on other blogs. I'm afraid they'll think I'm a weirdo for tagging them.

go ahead, make my day

So it seems I've been tagged for the "(go ahead) make my day" meme. (sorry, couldn't resist)

It's not easy for me to list 10 blogs that make my day. See, I don't actually read that many (not many, as in about two dozen, not two hundred like a friend of mine). The reason for this is that I often have trouble staying on task and motivated, so having oodles of fun and interesting stuff to read every day would seriously cut into my time for doing productive work. It's just common sense for me to only choose the ones that inspire me the most, will always read from top to bottom, and will miss on the days they don't post. As for all the other wonderful blogs out there, I try to only stop by when someone mentions a particularly lovely post, so I don't spend all day on the internet. I do hope you understand.

So, I think I will just list my top five, and hope whoever I miss doesn't jinx me (I'm not superstitious anyway, so it won't work)

1. Soule Mama: she is such a wonderful, creative, loving, inspiring person. And she takes adorable photos of her kids. What more can I say?

2. the Yarn Harlot: funny, silly, wise, outrageous, talented, and so down to earth. She makes me smile, and sometimes laugh out loud.

3. Soto Softies: I love how creative Martiza is with shapes and styles and colours. I fall in love with all the toys she makes, and wish for the day when I can be as stylish as her.

4. Tania: reading her blog is like sitting in a best friend's cozy kitchen, drinking tea from pretty china, eating something sweet and yummy, and chatting about the best things that happened the day before.

5. Irish Sally Garden: this family makes me believe it's possible to live sustainably, eating delicious food grown in your own backyard, raising animals in a humane and wholesome way, and teaching your children everything they should know about how the natural world works and our responsibility to maintain a healthy and resilient environment.

Handcrafters' Holidays Blog Meme

I saw this on Sew, Mama, Sew! and thought it would be fun to answer a few of the questions, even if my blog is a lot more about knitting than sewing. Hope you enjoy reading my answers!

Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?

I love giving my family hand-made gifts because I know they will appreciate the time and creativity I put into them, whether it's just a hand-painted card or something I spent hours knitting.

If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making? (Post photos if you have some!)

I've made several aprons, knitted a bunch of toys, and plan to make a pair of mittens and a hat. Sorry, no photos yet. I don't want to spoil the surprise!

Name one thing on your personal wish list.

I do have several knitting books on my wish list, but lately I've been thinking it would be awfully nice to have a rotary cutter and board. I have this itch to do some quilting. A scissor sharpener would be great too! My poor old scissors :(

Do you make and sell things that would make fantastic gifts?

This is where I say how adorable and lovable my toys are, and what a great gift idea one of my pattern books would be. My pin cushions would make lovely gifts too, if I ever had time to sew any!

What is your favorite family holiday tradition?

My favourite family holiday tradition would have to be the big supper on Christmas day. It's not just the food, which is always great, it's the whole day spent together getting everything ready. When I was a kid, it was always at my grandparents' house. I have wonderful memories of arriving just after lunch to their warm, cozy house. Visiting and playing games with whichever aunts, uncles, and cousins were there that year. My grandpa watching 3 different sports games on the T.V. Delicious food smells coming from the kitchen. Making the gravy as all the food was being put on the table. The steamed pudding my grandma would always make, with two kinds of sauce. Sleepily walking home through the snow.

What do you love most about the holiday season?

What I've always loved most is finding (or making) the perfect gift for someone, and watching their face as they open the package. It warms my heart to be able to show how much my friends and family mean to me, in even such a small way.

What do you like least about the holiday season?

What I like least is how some people can be so cynical and try their hardest to not enjoy this time of year because these holidays are so commercialized in so many ways. It's not difficult to just turn away from all the shiny artificiality, and delight in whatever is special to you - family and friends, hoping for better things in the new year, practicing kindness to strangers, or even just enjoying the change in season.

Anyone close to your heart that you’ll be missing this year?

I won't be missing anyone, because for the first time in years I will be going home for Christmas!

What is your favorite holiday food?

My favourite holiday food must be my grandma's steamed pudding. It's full of raisins and spices, and is so rich and yummy. Then you get to put rum and butter sauce on it, or tart lemon sauce. It makes my mouth water to think of it.

Do you have a great recipe to share?

I have an excellent recipe for chewy ginger cookies. It's in another post, because this one is getting rather long!