tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84843401713998809432012-02-16T12:58:02.919-07:00knitting, spinning, drawing, painting, motherhood, mothering, natural, parenting, diy, cooking, vegan, baking, dyeing, fashion, bohemian, dreadlocksKaitlinnoreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-21265836535995439222011-04-30T22:37:00.000-06:002011-04-30T22:37:25.695-06:00

After some fiddling and fudging around I moved to my own domain (and announced a new feature!). www.goldfinchanchor.com You'll find me there from now on! Onward and Upward!

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-24349038233216753132011-04-29T13:06:00.002-06:002011-04-29T13:21:10.413-06:00

image via weheartit Silencing my inner critic and moving toward creating is something I have a lot of trouble with. I'll draw something, write or simply have an idea of what I'd like to accomplish, and almost instantly I'm met with negative thoughts. Most of the time it's about whether it'll be good enough or not, whether I'm qualified to attempt something like that, whatever that is. Making

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-36533211095172333502011-04-27T12:22:00.000-06:002011-04-27T12:22:40.572-06:00

As you can see, I've been having way too much fun lately playing with my layout and decorating around here! I just finished the new header image, the little description to the left, and I even have a little blog button now. It's transparent, so it will work on anyone's background images or colours. If you're interested in linking, let me know, and we can swap buttons! Next up, I'm going to work

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-43699895181277746882011-04-23T19:50:00.001-06:002011-04-23T19:51:46.134-06:00

Knitting. It seems to have made something of a comeback in recent years. We're no longer required to knit our clothes or go without, it's now a leisurely pass-time enjoyed by millions. Luxury commercial yarns made from interesting man-made fibres have flooded the market and new tools are coming out all the time. Still, it's essentially the same as it has always been. Fibres, needles, and the

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-50703553412125565392011-04-22T15:59:00.001-06:002011-04-22T15:59:26.660-06:00

33 weeks complete! Little Miss is head down, having loads of fun kicking my right rib over, and over, and over again. I'm tired, but feeling really good emotionally, over all. It's almost as if the more real this becomes, to me, the less unknowns there are for me to fret about and the more I can relax. I can't wait until it's time! My belly has grown a lot in the last two or three weeks, and my

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-496465575860116742011-04-21T23:49:00.001-06:002011-04-27T19:56:44.925-06:00

I didn't really know what a flan was until I googled it, but I knew it is baked and it rhymes better than the word muffin. In reality, I'm baking oatmeal-flaxseed-chocolate chip muffins and sort of tentatively making plans. I have a big project in the works. I'm shaking and squealing a little as I type this. -Albert Camus image via weheartit After a good long pep-talk in the truck from my

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-56424374990740600042011-04-18T13:49:00.002-06:002011-04-18T13:51:22.476-06:00

Monday Muffins, a photo by Goldfinch&Anchor on Flickr.Vegan Blueberry-Banana Muffins Alex and I made fresh yesterday, raspberry leaf tea and a cozy blanket on the needles for my sweet.

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-15406324010699515272011-04-13T18:06:00.002-06:002011-04-27T19:57:46.168-06:00

I've been away from the blog for a while, I've got to catch up! Let's see.. I made the most delicious vegan chocolate chip cookies (which tasted exactly no different from regular ol' chocolate chip: I've officially gained about twenty pounds now, up to 148lbs , and while I'm a little bit slower, I feel good. No major complaints here! I fell off my yoga kick a bit (shame, shame on me) but

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-78723285999045945402011-04-05T11:07:00.004-06:002011-04-05T14:08:05.668-06:00

Bird Feeder, a photo by Goldfinch&Anchor on Flickr.I call this a win! A chickadee and a random little red twitterbird took turns feeding from the little holes in the milk jug feeder. Even some magpies are interested now! Edit to add: I have been dutifully informed that our red feathered visitor is a male house finch. Thank you Katelyn!

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-50991926007603252512011-04-04T20:03:00.000-06:002011-04-04T20:03:39.159-06:00

We recently bought a three-pack of basic plain white cotton Gerber t-shirts. Yawn. I took it upon myself to try and dye them, and while looking for inspiration, I came across a bunch of tie-dyed onesies that were absolutely adorable! I had to make some. I'd never done tie-dye before, but apparently Alex had, so we set to work using hair elastics to bunch up the shirts and I mixed up some Jacquard

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-24516656085221956882011-04-02T17:34:00.003-06:002011-04-02T17:43:46.511-06:00

30 weeks! Ten more weeks and I'll be holding my baby girl! Ten more weeks and Mama will become my role - the most important and greatest I'll ever play. I'm so excited, so happy and just a big jumble of nerves. Every day I'm preoccupied with making sure she has what she needs - from whether I've taken my vitamin to if we'll have enough of this or that, which toy she'd like me to knit for her the

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-66998894568278977132011-04-01T15:06:00.002-06:002011-04-01T15:50:03.410-06:00

I've been a lazy vegetarian for years. Most of the meals I cook for myself and my family have been meatless, or near-vegan and I've been toying with the idea of taking the plunge and going full-on vegan. For a long time I've been on the fence, I love the taste of cheese, the odd greasy burger successfully lured me in, but no longer. While looking up vegan resources to help myself along, I came

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-37203574027493530162011-03-25T12:09:00.004-06:002011-03-25T12:16:06.127-06:00

I love this video. Being someone blessed to live in a Canada, where basic medical care is free, I consider myself privileged. I grew up poor - I'm talking 'plain macaroni four times a week, wipe your ass with newspaper' poor, and still, health care was available to me and my family. I grew up in an apartment with black mold everywhere, once we had a mushroom growing in our carpet. We were sick a

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-10015315870445456322011-03-20T22:59:00.000-06:002011-03-20T22:59:15.787-06:00

image via weheartit Lately I've been having some trouble getting comfy - sitting, laying down, whatever. My back has been hurting a bit, and I've been having some ligament pain in my abdomen. Everything is stretching so quickly, I can hardly keep up! I decided I would take things into my own hands. After downing a chocolate soymilk with a scoop of protein powder, I set to work on my prenatal

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-77080256031864031922011-03-15T12:26:00.001-06:002011-03-15T12:28:23.552-06:00

Alex has been bugging me to knit him a hat. The last beanie I knit for him was black acrylic with green stripes. It was the first thing I knit when I picked up the needles again after learning for the second time (and haven't since put them down). This hat, of which I was most proud was taken from us one summer in 2007 when our car was broken into. I never replaced it - no hat would ever be as

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-72987544453078687152011-03-09T12:03:00.000-07:002011-03-09T12:03:46.784-07:00

Here I am! My belly is getting huuuge and is actually starting to feel a little uncomfortable as it stretches. I'm using some vitamin E oil and cocoa butter on my tummy but my DANGER!NAVEL rages on. I finished the sleep sack! I used kitchener stitch for the very first time to close up the bottom almost invisibly and I'm pretty proud of it! I love learning a new technique, it's no where near as

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-77251733576935277712011-03-07T20:07:00.002-07:002011-03-07T20:26:26.856-07:00

I took this photo of Virtue yesterday while she was napping on the back of our couch. I tend to take a LOT of photos of our kitties, but this one in particular makes me pretty proud.  I spent much of the day ripping out everything in a huge set of cupboards we have in the kitchen, throwing out things we don't need and reorganizing. It needed to be done, I haven't gone through them in the almost

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-43221605557341924232011-03-04T17:06:00.001-07:002011-03-04T19:39:26.269-07:00

image via weheartit I just recently started using BlogLovin' to follow my favourite blogs, with up to the minute updates on posts, which is really nice considering I follow so many. BlogLovin' also gives you recommendations based on the blogs you follow! I love it! Follow my blog with bloglovin

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-67080006354654365482011-03-04T10:01:00.001-07:002011-03-04T10:04:07.718-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I cooked up one of our favourite meals. It happens to be vegan, but even my meat-loving husband can't get enough of it. The recipe is found in Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan cookbook. I love that book, alone with How it All Vegan. How it All Vegan has my absolute favourite vegan lasagna recipe, and the recipe for the best from-scratch tomato sauce I've ever tasted. This

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-74154547270708438732011-03-02T18:03:00.000-07:002011-03-02T18:03:28.921-07:00

This tattooed punk rock single Daddy is so sweet to his little daughter - have tissues at the ready. I saw this video on a couple other blogs and I just had to share.

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-72891466717932880122011-02-28T15:33:00.002-07:002011-03-01T10:36:53.521-07:00

So, my job at the music store is officially over. "There is nothing on my horizon except everything. Everything is on my horizon." - Dwight K. Schrute I finished helping pack up the store and we went to a corporate-sponsored goodbye dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in town. It's a newer place that Alex and I would never be able to justify eating at had we been picking up the tab.

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-32999923612494930932011-02-21T12:20:00.001-07:002011-02-21T12:20:35.035-07:00

I'm 24 weeks pregnant now, enjoying a few days off before the 'last hurrah' at work and closing up the store. Little Annabelle is always on my mind and it's been so sweet these last few days to see how excited Alex is about all the kicks and wiggles he can feel. I don't know that there's a belly in existence that has been rubbed and smooched more than mine! I'm totally stoked to be given this

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-15392471605228936632011-02-19T20:35:00.003-07:002011-02-21T13:51:44.522-07:00

February has been crazy! I found the second week that I'm being laid off, as the music store that I work at is closing. Alex and I had our hysterical moments, worried that this would prevent me from qualifying for maternity benefits during our baby girl's first year. As we have found out, that's not the case at all, and I have the option of going on the benefits earlier than I had anticipated

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-12624110888020745502011-01-30T21:55:00.000-07:002011-01-30T21:55:06.683-07:00

I'm spinning some lavender superwash wool with a hint of sparkle to make a February Baby sweater for a little someone who is kicking around on my insides. We're listening to a selection of classical music tonight and I'm relaxing after work. Tomorrow I work, and hopefully my KnitPicks order will be in by the afternoon. I'm having way too much fun planning all the things I'd love to make, and

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-33299275235344448052011-01-29T20:44:00.001-07:002011-01-29T20:45:47.326-07:00

While my favourite vegan curried lentil soup simmering on the stovetop (recipe, anyone?), I’m taking a bit of time to think about the last month. It’s literally flown by – it feels like just the other day we were opening our gifts on Christmas and thinking about the coming year, and how next Christmas, our little girl would be here with us. We saw our baby moving about and got lots of pictures,

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-41527027617654308052011-01-22T23:14:00.002-07:002011-02-21T13:54:53.468-07:00

A beautiful baby girl!She even has a name, and it's the most perfect name I can think of for our little one. We got to see her moving around on the screen, moving her arms and legs, her head and even her little fingers. We saw her spine and tiny little ribs. It was beautiful. It's amazing how much she was wiggling, so much I couldn't even feel. Alex and I got so excited every time the tech

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-37401366034172272622011-01-11T22:12:00.001-07:002011-02-21T13:54:19.496-07:00

The New Year is off to a great start! I've been sticking to most of the major habits on my list. I haven't had any pop, and have mostly stuck to water, juice, soymilk and tea. Once I have this cold kicked, I plan on cutting juice out more than I have been. I've also been successful at Project 365 so far. Here are a few of my favourites from the last week or so Pregnancy nails My most favourite

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-57625862726887756682010-12-28T18:35:00.001-07:002011-02-21T13:53:50.774-07:00

Christmas has come and went and it's almost a little sad. It was so nice to revel in the lights and the nice company and it's a shame it's over for the year - but I am so ridiculously excited to move on to 2011. Among other lovely gifts, I received the most unexpected of all - a Canon Digital Rebel XS. It's so beautiful! I've been playing with it non-stop, and learning so much. I recently

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-40968766782634053462010-12-19T19:13:00.000-07:002010-12-19T19:13:50.239-07:00

We've been busy! Christmas comes early for us this year, and we're ready! I just finished wrapping all the gifts and now we're sitting comfortably in our cozy living room together. I keep looking over at our little Christmas tree, our first one we've ever had, and I'm so excited. This time next year our baby will be six months old, and will be enjoying his or her first holiday with us and family

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8484340171399880943.post-83573219203029232392010-12-12T23:25:00.003-07:002011-03-03T14:49:47.913-07:00

image via weheartit I'm blogging again, oh happy day! I've missed typing out my conquests, plans and ideas - it's been too long and I'm glad to be back to it. Over the coming months, I'm going to be knitting (dyeing & designing too!), taking photographs, decorating, organizing, cooking up some goodies, reading tons and tons of blogs and trying all kinds of new things. A huge life change is

Kaitlinnoreply@blogger.com1