and let's talk about the things you can find...

in those fabulous European Market places........or in Spain...Supermarketo!


here are a few pics as I strolled the streets of Europe..I will let the pics tell the story...

food...France...yummmm

Continuing with my food yumminess, I next want to discuss my time in Paris and the mmmmmmmm.....tasties I had there.

My mom "Mumzie" has always given me escargot, since I was a little Kimmee.....escargot and spaghetti usually, a funny combination for sure, but after 7 weeks of travel, I was craving a little "taste of home...

So I took myself out for dinner in the Opera De Les Halles District, where I was staying and had dinner here...


I ordered...drum roll please....

Escargots and lasagne.........mmmmmmmmmmmmm funnilly enough, it tasted like home and Paris at the same time.
Combined with a yummy Pinot Noir and fantastic crumbly bread for dipping, what is escargot for if not garlic/butter sauce drenched bread, I was in heaven........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now let's talk pastries and Paris....oh man..could I eat enough yummy things from street vendors?
I don't think so. My fave was a little stand outside the Louvre in the Tuillerries, where I ordered "un paine de chocolat et un quiche de fromage, s'il vous plait"

Best Quiche I have ever...ever...ever...had.
Sigh..no pics sorry, but trust me it tasted fantastique!

Let's Talk European food...

My next few posts will be about some of the exquisite flavours I was able to take in while traveling this winter.

I am going to start with Spain cause.....well....it is just soooooo good.

BEANS.....Fabada- first tasted in Oviedo, Spain
Fabada is a large white bean dish with blood sausage, chorizo sausage and ham hocks........all is steeped in Pimenton and served up like a stew with gargantuan breads, crunchy, moist, and tearable in hunks for dippining and dripping....


Tie that together with a "nice Chianti" and slurp....slurp....slurp....I am sending a big freeze dried bag of ingredients home for later...




and when I got home....I made it, almost but not quite as delicious.

Pimenton would follow me about and ask to be sent home ........now it follows me about here :)

stitch in time....kitty paw, stitch in time....

I Knit .....Therefore I am


...with kitty upon shoulder supervising every stitch. I could not do it without her.
Kitty pie...Kitty pie....kitty pie....kitty pie.......ra ra ra!!!!!!!

what you say...what am I talking about?.....weeeeeellllllll go to www.etsy.com and search for me.."Seachild Comforts"


... knit a little talk a little...knit a little ..talk a little........

Milan Kundera

I know there has been some recent contraversy about him, my favourite author, and speculation that he actually informed on his close friends etc, 60 years ago in the Czech Republic, but....
he still remains one of my all time favourite authors, made even more so having visited Prague in October and feeling the energy and historical context of the people, world he wrote of.

Today I share a great movie of his writings with a friend....."The Unbearable Lightness of Being"....it is worth viewing and even further, worth the read.

La De Da....

and a Sunday whiles away gently with Daiv, coffee, furries and friends... and yes i wore my pajams til I had to change out of them :)

Anyone seen " Milk"? I am about to step forth into yonder world and check it out.

I want to know....please add comments...

What it is about jammies and slippers and what makes them socially unacceptable at a certain point in the day?

I mean, they are clothes, sort of......the are comfy, and if you spend your days working from home...why the guilt after a certain time, that you are still in your jammies?
Is it my own warped guilt kicking in or do you feel this way too?

It is the same thing I wonder about taking sick time and naps. Some ( and I am thinking more about older generations here) see illness and the need for naps as a weakness. A personal judgement that you are somehow "less than" if a cold catches up with you or you can take time to have a siesta.

I am telling you..Europe, especially the hot areas, have this well figured..I am down with noonsies and siestas and late dinners....

This work work work, look pretty all the time and don't show weakness, is just bullshit.

That said, I am sitting here in my jammies, may have a nap, and ponder this a little further...

Vote for Sarah Kramer...Vegan Goddess

My really good friend Sarah Kramer, Vegan Cookbook author Goddess....www.govegan.net...has been nominated for a Libby award. please go to www.peta2.com -libby awards, and vote for her fabulousness and discover others in other categories as well.....

song for peace...

These Playing for Peace songs are such a breathtaking accomplishment....enjoy...and if my link doesn't work....run to youtube and search for ..."Playing around the World,song for peace,Stand by Me"

or copy and paste this into your browser bar..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

The thing about Friendship...

.....is that it is always there.

Time can pass, lives can carry you in different directions and it is not always possible to be tightly connected.
Those free school day dreams are hard to maintain as we get older and our lives are full and the time to simply "hang" keeps evaporating.

Then you see each other and it all just washes away.....the time,. the space the distance...that is the thing about friendship.
When it is real,.......it is unchangeable.
You pick up the pieces as though no time has passed...



A wise teacher in Grade 4 told me ..."a good friend is there til the end".
She was right.

Sigh, I heart my friends...and you all know who you are .

Snow Dogs....

Daiv and I are watching the movie "snow dogs" and giggling at their antics......I remember when Sage was a puppy and she got into EVERYTHING.
Mascara bunny comes to mind right away...a poor little stuffy that Sage thought needed makeup so she chewed on my mascara and then wiped it all over bunny's face....poor mascara bunny...
Nothing could keep her conatained, she opened doors, and latches and crate lock and you name it, she escaped it.....
We would leave the house with her contained in a puppy safe zone....with locks and gates etc, and come home to find mounds of pillow fluff that she had sucked out of the corners of all our silk cushions.....igh....it is a good thing she is so cute :)



Now she is older and less apt to eat pillows, however, everytime the dogs bark and howl on TV, our Niko and Sage join them in song and ...it makes it a little challenging to watch the movie :) but worth every bark.

New item notice....

As my kitty pi factory takes off for the new year, I have aded a few new features to further customize the kitty pies I am making and selling-now pawprints and your furries' names are a great option...25% of all proceeds continues to help animals in need :)

You can check it all out here....
www.etsy.com
then search for Seachild Comforts

That is me and my little shop :)

Please drop by and tell me your thoughts and then tag me as your very favourite shop in the whole world.

tee hee...

It came........It was lovely...it involved friends, and music and celebrating and now it involves water consumption....:)

I was home earlier than years past...2:00am instead of 4:00...must be cause I am 40!... lolololol!

As for resolutions?...The whole resolution thingy is not for me...I like to make little ones throughout the year so have nothing specific picked for today.

Did anyone do the polar bear swim????

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

I can't really believe it has come already...

Wasn't it just yesterday I was packing?
Wasn't it last week I was hanging with you in a sunbeam?
Wasn't I just 2 a blink ago?



Wow....make the most of every minute....this is what I am reminded of....not in big ways, just in conscious ways...every minute is precious.

With love to you...

Happy New Year!

To dress or not to dress.....

Not in the "get dressed" for the day kind of way, but in the " fancy dress for new years" way.

It is a long, lovely tradition to bedeck and bedazzle the Newyear in our best ensembles...

The question is, how much is too much? Are we still interested in turning out a pretty shoe, a little sparkle and a fabulous wrap?
Well I am, I live for dressing up occassions, so will be pulling out all the stops....

I wonder how many others feel like I do?
Please let me know your own ensemble plans.
Pj's and videos and a cozy evening? Bedecked to the nines and dancing? A movie out?

What's the plan to ring in and ring out the year and what are you wearing???

a year in review

Wow, I sit here thinking on all I have had the opportunity to see and do this past year and am left in wonder at what 2008 offered.

It began with good friends ringing in the new year at the Irish Times where a friend's band "Kitangus" played.
It was warm and lovely and a good indication to the year that lay ahead.


January and February saw my life altered through the experience of being part of a wicked production team and performing in "the Vagina Monologues".


A life shaping experience that was so much more than one can imagine. The play itself is transformational, add to that the women who so courageously wore the skin of the women whom shaped the play, to share their stories. Truly an awe inspiring production. Yay for "the web" ! The show raised $30 000 for the Womens' Shelter locally and that is a jaw droping accomplishment I am proud to have been a part of.


Between shows, preparations for the "Shadows" project, vocal coaching and directing for the Autism Society, the spring moved along quickly. I finally brought home my first electric guitar...something I have been saving for , for well....a loooooong time...she is soooo pretty and red and the sound...yummy!



It also was the second annual "World Tiara Day", the day we don our tiaras and walk tall as the queens we all are...and I am happy to note it has tripled in particiation since last year.



May saw me turn 40 with friends and family....yay 40.


40 means....well..."40". It is the ultimate response.....why? "well... because I am 40"
And because I am 40, I got a new tattoo......my own personal faery to travel with me through life.



Then there was the gift of a trip in June to see my stepsis and family in Philly combined with a week in New York.
My mom and Reg, Daiv and I took in Broadway, art, sights and sounds that left us a little breathless...whew..it is a wonderful crazy paced town.





It also got me wanting more! More travel please....
David re-introduced me to the language of art at the Met and the Moma and the Philly Museum of art, an excellent lesson to take with me alone to Europe.

Then along came Europe.....all its splendor,sounds, smells, tastes, family connections, friends; new and old, and those stones...



Those glorious old stones that resonate of times gone by and times to come.
A journey that inspires me to keep reaching for new creative energy. That reminded me of what is important in our world...the little things, that teach our hearts to be more. The trip that reminded me that art for art's sake is still out there.

Coming home was a poignant and bittersweet thing. Not for the reasons you may think, I was excited to be home with Daiv and the furries and my bed, and unpack....



but it also saw me say goodbye to my dear pussycat friend Abby, another gift of a creature who showed us so many life's lessons over her 16 years. A bittersweet farewell.




Home meant revving up into the holiday show season with not much preamble. Whew!
It meant the sewing machine came out, kitty pi's were knit and prezzies baked and sewn for family and friends. I did not shop in one mall for a Christmas prezzie....I love making things for the holidays.




And then....
Who knew so much would be altered on account of 2 and a 1/2 feet of snow :)

I have been doing snow dances for so many years it seems it all fell at once in response...glorious, blissful blankets of snow. Okay so I couldn't get my car out of the driveway for a week......snow is magic.



This year its magic included my Mom and Reg's new baby, Maggie their Golden retriever...



I am thankful for all of life's mysteries; sorrowful and happy, that remind us what living is all about.
2008 has been the cherry on a pretty good life of sundaes, and I am so grateful for every moment.

I hope that when you look back you also see that you are looking forward, and I wish you all a happy remembering.

doesn't anyone want to leave a note anymore????

I used to love coming in and reading your thoughts, but alas, perhpas there are no more thoughts to have?

A crowning achievement

Does not everyone wear a crown for their Christmas dinner?

It has just been brought to my attention that perhpas not everyone does?

I am shocked and quite concerned at this. Why.....it has been custom to do this every Christmas dinner as long as I can remember.
The smell of the explosion after the cracker is pulled, the flinging of the toys inside the cracker, across the room and down the wall with the strength it needs to tear those crackers apart... the inevitabele colour choices of those crowns, the playing with the toys and ofcourse....the all important.....

READING OF THE JOKES...LOLOLOLOLOLOOLOL!

What would Christmas be without them...?????

A Very Merry Christmas, Hanukah, kwanzaa, Solstice to everyone

It is here...that peaceful lovely feeling that comes in with snow and family and smells of home.

Wishing you all peace love and joy this holiday and the year ahead...and maybe just a little bit more snow??????

Happy Festivus!

We are putting up the aluminum tree and making preparations for wrestling :)

Thank you Seinfeld!


(from the web)
Main elements of Festivus

The Airing of GrievancesThe Festivus celebration as described on Seinfeld includes four major components:

The Festivus Pole: The Costanzas' tradition begins with an aluminum pole, which Frank praises for its "very high strength-to-weight ratio." During Festivus, the unadorned Festivus Pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is "very low-maintenance," and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting."

The Airing of Grievances: At the beginning of the Festivus dinner, each participant tells friends and family of all the instances where they disappointed him or her that year. As quoted from Frank Costanza: "I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!"

Festivus dinner: In "The Strike," a celebratory dinner is shown on the evening of Festivus prior to the Feats of Strength. The on-air meal appeared to be meat loaf or spaghetti in a red sauce. In Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin, drinking is encouraged with hearty beer, rum, bourbon, or wine. In the episode, no alcohol was served, but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drank from a flask.

The Feats of Strength: After the dinner, the head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.

The Festivus Miracle

Although it is not an official element of the holiday or its celebration, the phenomenon of the Festivus Miracle is mentioned several times in the original episode. Kramer causes the occurrence of two "miracles" by inviting two betting-window operators to dinner with Elaine (men whom Elaine wished to avoid), and by causing Jerry's girlfriend Gwen to believe that Jerry was cheating on her. On these occasions, Kramer enthusiastically declared, "It's a Festivus miracle!"

The Origin of Festivus

The Festivus idea originally came to Seinfeld writer Dan O'Keefe from a tradition started by his father Daniel O'Keefe. The elder O'Keefe had discovered the Festivus holiday in a book, published in 1966, that outlined obscure holidays. (Read More)

The Human Fund

"The Human Fund" is a fake charity used used by George Costanza. Instead of buying Christmas gifts for his coworkers, he gave a cardthat stated that a donation had been made to a charitycalled "The Human Fund". The slogan of the Human Fund was "Money For People". It was such a good scam that George's boss, Mr. Kruger gave George a company check for $20,000 to "The Human Fund". Later, the accounting department informs Kruger the charity doesn't exist, causing a chain of events that sees George inviting Kruger to his father's Festivus celebration.

This just in....

Lunassa La fey, our faery cat, loves snow as much as I do, the dogs on the other hand are in the house.

..... Nessa chasing snowflakes...



catching snowballs in her paws...



and watching them disappear....



it is now covering the top of my snowboots.....hee hee heee..



I simply love snow!!!!!!!!


My little Lunassa La Fey kitty, loves snow too!!!!!!

And in other news.....

All extraneous shopping is done and not one corporate store was needed....yay for handmade for the holidays.


Blizzard warning in some areas of our coast.
It is currently -12 celsius and much more snow coming....lots more they say! :)

Good thing we are off now and can stay put and cozy up!

Everyone stay safe....it is crazy out in the world.

a new obsession emerges....

uh oh.......I have found something that I must learn to do.....WAAAANNNNNNNNTTTTTTT!



This is done by needle felting....and I am destined to become brilliant at this...make fabulous furries to go with my kitty pi's and be seen by millions on Oprah!





I suspect the fact that this technique is done by poking and poking the wool with a very sharp barbed needle could cause for a few ummm owie learning moments.
but look........how adorable ...seriously....?????

Maxine....

Why do we...????...

... end up with more things to do than time to do it???

No matter how well I plan, make lists, organize.....every year, my "to finish making" list gets biggr and bigger and there is this flurry of activity right up to Xmas eve, when I finally, in the 11th hour, complete all my gifts....exhausted and hoping I haven't forgotten anyone...

And then there was the year I made decoupaged terracotta planters for everyrone and slipped on the stairs on the way to Christmas gift opening and oooops....there goes Christmas.....every pot broken......not to mention my tail bone.......

Oh dear....memo to self, be careful on stairs.

Etsy me please....

Hello...I have officially etsy'd.

I love this site and have purchased many handmade items as gifts and now add myself to the group. Please check it out....

My store is "Seachild Comforts"

Well done Dr. Zonk.

My other dad, Dr. Reg Mitchell...is saying farewell to teaching and retiring.

This evening I attended a retirement party for Reg, where it was obvious how well respected and loved he has been by many, throughout the Academic societies of the world.
Award winning professor, well respected radio personality on the chemistry of daily living, beloved alter ego Dr. Zonk and pretty decent guy, I am happy to share a little snippet of his success here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wisR3YJcaKU&feature=related
( copy into browser windown)

Ugh, snow good....windchill baddddddd!

Okay I give........the snow is awesome...0 degrees, ,minus 1, all good, but this? This is freaking cold and hurricane force winds and my car won't start and my feet are cold....damn..........who called the snow????????

Wasn't me!


and this pussycat is not impressed getting the wind blown up her butt either!

A gentle peace over the world....

It is a windy day, but a day that is clouded in hushy white sounds and peaceful streets. I love hearing the sound of scrunching snow instead of cars....people and sleds and happy excited faces are all about...ecstatic there is a snow day.

One thing that I have always noticed at moment's like these is the way neighbour reaches out to neighbour after the snows fall.
I see people digging out each other's pathways....driveways... and helping out with groceries for our seniors who don't feel safe walking about the slippery streets.

I love the magic that snow offers the world. A little reminder that it is about the village we live in, every one of us and we are in this together.

Our Budha is presiding over it all with grace and a smile...