Vancouver(ish) in September: summer weather, autumn cheer - Page 3

[artparent]

wish you could be here too, tiffani.

sounds like a lovely birthday you threw, autumn!

i've been enjoying the rain, actually, a chance to stay in with my visiting sister and just be cosy, play a lot of board games, read a lot of stories, knit, sew, drink tea

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[kdtmom2be]

A few links you all might be interested in www.grasslandbeef.com and www.eatwild.com

[ememers]

Hi ladies! I'm back in town after almost 8 weeks in the US, visiting family and friends and working at a summer job. It was fantastic, but it's also good to be home. Only lamenting the official end of summer a little bit--I start a new job tomorrow. While in the states I stocked up on a ton of maternity clothes (in a state with no sales tax on clothes, yay!) but now I'm realizing that I have a few holes in my wardrobe.... where do you recommend shopping for good maternity basics on a pretty restricted budget??

I'm hoping to can a bit before the season's over, though I'll probably do it on my own while I'm figuring out my schedule with a new job and all. I need more of my grandma's chili sauce to make it through the winter.

Hope all is well with everyone!

[Piglet68]

Hello everybody! We're back from our trip to McLeese Lake (just north of Williams Lake). We had two sunny days and one rainy day so how does that compare with Vancouver? My MIL spoils us so it was all very relaxing. The kids had fun fishing and jumping on the trampoline (and watching Treehouse, something we don't have at home, lol). I did some crochet work for the first time in ages - made a string bag that I thought would be for groceries but I guess I picked the wrong size yarn b/c it was child-sized. So I gave it to DD who used it to hold the "treasures" she collected!

We are going to the New West Not-Back-To-School picnic today and after that DS has his first martial arts class at Red Tiger. I am SO excited for him! He picked up his uniform with Dad last week and wouldn't take it off for the rest of the day, lol.

Our own exciting news is that we are finally house hunting in earnest. We have a realtor and a mortgage broker and almost put an offer on a place last week. We are looking for 2 acres in the Mission/Maple Ridge area, probably a bare lot so we can build what we want. I am SUPER excited, but at the same time frustrated because there is nothing out there right now that really appeals. I just keep reminding myself that, as when we searched for places to rent, just when you think nothing will be found the Right Place shows us. Faith and patience!

[artparent]

wow mariah, that's lots of great news! good luck with your property hunt, i am partially, extremely jealous is your partner handy, will he be building? or you'll have someone build it for you? dreamy!

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[Storm Bride]

Mariah - lots of great news. I hope the property hunt works out for you. I'm kind of jealous, but I'm becoming resigned to not owning anything. I made one of the biggest financial mistakes (a bad choice of marriage partner, and a divorce) and I think the long-term ramifications are going to be big. DH and I manage okay, but we're not likely to ever buy - at least not anywhere even close to Metro Vancouver.

Hopefully, I'll catch up with you at the picnic. Getting these guys out the door is always a challenge for me, and I'm really tired after a whirlwind week with my in-laws. Since last Wednesday morning, I've been to Maplewood Farm, Granville Island, the PNE, Burnaby Village Museum, sailing on False Creek and "hiking" in Lynn Canyon - plus swimming at the hotel a couple of times and meals, including one at my mom's. As this has entailed quite a lot of driving, and dd2 has been nursing every 15 minutes (okay - not really, but it seems like it!), I'm absolutely wiped. However, the kids would like an outing today. Their dad's back at work, their big brother goes back to school for a half day, and their grandparents have left for another year. So, they're a little overwhelmed and feeling a bit...abandoned, I think.

Once dd2 finishes nursing, I'll go see if I can round up something to put food in. I'm really not rigged up well for a picnic. I need to work on that.

[Alison's Mom]

Originally Posted by ememers

where do you recommend shopping for good maternity basics on a pretty restricted budget??

Old Navy has maternity stuff for pretty cheap, and I believe H&M has maternity clothes, too, and their prices are probably similar to ON. I only wish there was this much selection back when I was preggers, especially with #1, and it was only 5 years ago! There is also a 'motherhood maternity' store in Coquitlam Centre, I think, but I'll bet ON is cheaper.

[tiffani]

welcome back ememers!

congratulations mariah!! that's so exciting!! best wishes on the land hunt!!

I wish we could go to the NBTSPicnics... I've hit the depressive slump with this latest adoption setback, we're waiting on our '08 tax return to show up, and then we can get the paperwork ball rolling again... I'm so glad we're adopting two kiddos and can be DONE with this freakin' process!!!!! there are a few families currently in Rwanda picking up their babies, and one family posted a video of their meeting and it just melts your heart how these babies just grabbed hold of their new parents and clung right on -- I know it doesn't always go that way (another boy in the group cried, which is actually probably a healthier reaction to being thrust into the arms of mzungus for the first time, especially mzungus who are crying and smiling frantically at you!!!) but I Just. want. to. GO!!!! so tired of the paperwork, the waiting for news, the wondering, the moments of "I'm too tired to adopt, I just need a nap" -- the logistics also mean that we will be away from friends and family even longer than we had originally planned, and as much as I'd love to hop on a plane and head to north america, we just can't afford it -- really hoping we will all go to Rwanda when it's time, but we'll just have to see... so many things that we're just "waiting and seeing" about, it's incredibly emotionally and mentally draining... ok, enough whining...

due to all of this, and also because mark has been working INSANE hours, we're renting a "bach on the beach" in castlepoint for the weekend that I was supposed to be flying off to Uganda. we haven't had a weekend, let alone a weekend "away" in so long, so I'm super excited. we so need this...

[Piglet68]

Very cool, tiffani. My Aunt and Uncle in Auckland have a bach outside of town. I always think of it as a "batch", though a batch of what I could never figure out, lol.

Oh no, my DH is not handy at all, lol. My Dad is, however, having built a few houses in his lifetime (ah, the good old days when normal people could afford to buy a lot in Vancouver and build a little house on it). Depending on the cost of the land we will have an architect design a Not-So-Big-House. Or we may go prefab, or even "manufactured" home. I'm finding it hard to prioritize - ie. would I be happier with a designed-for-me house on a small piece of land, or would I prefer a larger piece of land with a less expensive and less "customized" dwelling.

And while it all sounds rather fancy it really isn't going to cost us any more than a good 2 bdrm condo in downtown Vancouver.

[dawncayden]

Originally Posted by ememers

Hi ladies! I'm back in town after almost 8 weeks in the US, visiting family and friends and working at a summer job. It was fantastic, but it's also good to be home. Only lamenting the official end of summer a little bit--I start a new job tomorrow. While in the states I stocked up on a ton of maternity clothes (in a state with no sales tax on clothes, yay!) but now I'm realizing that I have a few holes in my wardrobe.... where do you recommend shopping for good maternity basics on a pretty restricted budget??

Value Village was my favourite place.


Great to see you all at the picnic!!!!

sorry I didn't get to say goodbye Sheila.

[MaybeGracie]

Hello ladies! I had introduced myself in the August thread, then had some busy weeks and didn't keep up with things here! I'm counting down the days until we move out that way. My husband moved there three weeks ago (*sniff*) and DS and I are looking forward to seeing him again. I have three more days of work (yay!!!) and then we'll be packing up. We'll get to Vancouver on Monday, just in time for my midwife appt the next morning (which I'm a bit nervous about, having to drive to an appt my very first morning in an unfamiliar city, but I'm hoping for the best). We'll be living on Capitol Hill in Burnaby. I hope to get to meet some of you this fall.

[Storm Bride]

Welcome, Cynthia.

I enjoyed the NBTS picnic yesterday, and so did the kids. In fact, it was very difficult to get ds2 out of there, and it involved a lot of tears. He was pretty tired when we left. It was great to see everyone - especially Sheila, as I hadn't seen her in so long that I wasn't even positive we'd actually met before!

I'm glad the picnic wasn't today. While I can picnic in the rain, I'd rather not, especially with the kids. DS2 likes water way too much, and I tend to find him in a mud puddle, with his jacket getting wet on the ground, and his shoes off.

[dawncayden]

Cynthia, are you with Pomegranate midwives?

[dawncayden]

I'm trying to wrap my head around working again in Dec/Jan so I've made some decisions about looking after another child.
Here's my posting if anyone know's anyone who would be interested:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/va...366010126.html

[MaybeGracie]

Originally Posted by dawncayden

Cynthia, are you with Pomegranate midwives?

Yes, I am. I've had a couple phone appts with them so far, which has been nice - there's only so much you can do over the phone, of course, but it's nice to have a bit of a chat in preparation for meeting them in person. I've been quite happy with them so far. I should have time to meet each of the three midwives on the team once before the baby comes in December (homebirth, if all goes according to plan!).

Is there a reason you ask?

[gr8fulmom]

Nice ad Dawn... I'm sure you will get some responses and interest... good for you

Great to see a bunch of mdc folks yesterday at the NBTS picnic and hope to see you all again at Hula Hoot which starts this Friday! (Dawn btw my friend is coming to Hula Hoot on Friday and is very interested in buying both your carriers ) Where did the summer go? Can it really be fall already??

I feel like I have SO much to do as we are def going away for Nov and Dec! Which reminds me, anyone want to rent a very child friendly acreage for two months I'm not looking to make money but rather to have our house taken care of and just cover extra expenses like heat etc... so it would be cheap!

and Tiffani... after much soul searching I think I am not doing any vaxs... I did get a tetnus booster for myself, and I am still waffling on the DPT which I could get for the older kids as just a DT but Lucas would have to get the Polio and Pertussis parts : Meanwhile I found out I have naturally aquired Hep A immunity which rocks so that's one less illness I have to worry about! I am figuring the kids probably have too but I didn't actually get them tested... apparently its very rare for someone to ask to have their immunity tested before they get vaxed, most people just get the vax without checking

[dawncayden]

Originally Posted by MaybeGracie

Yes, I am. I've had a couple phone appts with them so far, which has been nice - there's only so much you can do over the phone, of course, but it's nice to have a bit of a chat in preparation for meeting them in person. I've been quite happy with them so far. I should have time to meet each of the three midwives on the team once before the baby comes in December (homebirth, if all goes according to plan!).

Is there a reason you ask?

It's just super easy to drive down Hastings to get there from North Burnaby. And there's a huge parking lot one block west and one block north from the midwives.

[artparent]

sounds good dawn.

anyone going to the jericho nbts picnic tomorrow? we'll be late! but we'll get there eventually! thank goodness, i agree, so great that it rained today!

and what about sunday, anyone joining us at second beach?

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[Intuition]

We'll be at Jericho tomorrow! We're looking forward to it very much, and I have to say that I have been thrilled with this week, our first learning at home! I admit to a little nervousness around the picnic, but excitement is really overriding that right now. I have been so busy trying to get acquainted with the Village in SD and figuring out the O4Ls and all of that, as well as doing a MASSIVE decluttering that should have been done in August, that I am just thrilled to be getting out of the house.

[Autumn Mama]

We're missing all of the pic-nics this week!

We are off to Rathtrevor Beach tomorrow to camp and bliss out on the beach for four or five days, fingers crossed for great weather!!! We will meet Matthew's SelfDesign LC too, who is likely coming to visit from Cortez Island. We are fortunate to have found an excellent match again, as he is living a life we dream of, and has such overlap with Matthew's interests and current passions. He lives in an intentional community of four HL'ing families, is milling logs for the new home he and his wife and two LO's will live in, as well as keeps goats and chickens and lives sustainably with his most of his own food grown there on Cortez. He's taught within a First Nations community back east for awhile, then moved here again, and taught at Linnaea Alternative School on Cortez. Now, he's an LC , new this year. Matthew's pretty excited, and I'm glad, because he's had such inconsistency these past two years with friends that come and go, two deaths, and two LC changes. So things are looking up! If we could manage to find folks to see regularly, we'll be happier too.

Have great pic-nics all of you!!! :

Maybe I can catch artparent or beaner&teigs before they leave....a visit out that way somehow?

G'night!!!