The Daily Hailey

Late Friday morning, I was completely unexpectedly convinced out of my house for the weekend.

There was an event this past weekend that I have always loved attending – the craft retreat. I wrote it off long ago for a handful of reasons. Both financial and moral responsibility beat out my desire to crochet on a couch, among friends, eating good food. But the game was changed. So I spoke to Brady, who had only just learned that the craft retreat was coming up, was in full favour of me going. We haven’t spent a night apart since he came home from the hospital. With that, he hadn’t spent that long on his own with the kids since well before his surgery. He was completely capable before, and we both knew he’d be fully capable now, but I did worry he would tire out really quickly and struggle more. But we agreed that now was the best time to try it out, when I would only be a short 20 minutes away if something really went bad. And we were both confident it wouldn’t.

Spoiler alert: We were right. Nothing went bad 💜

We decided I would attend the retreat around 11am on Friday, and my ride showed up about three hours later! We got there in time to help unload, set up, and organize the place. We got tables and chairs set up, food put away, rooms assigned for night, etc. And then people started coming and we started crafting.

I sat on the far couch. See my big ole yarn carrier thing? Yup, that was where I parked my behind.

And this weekends schedule speaks for itself!

Remember when I could hardly eat? Man alive. I really enjoyed eating this weekend. Its possible mini eggs were part of my brunch plate.

I got a mountain of work done. More than I ever would’ve gotten done at home. We can talk more about that another day. It was all so last minute, I didn’t have time to acquire the yarn I needed for pending orders, so I just crocheted *gasp* what I WANTED!!! So that was a riot, hahaha! I worked and ate and slept a little, though I forgot my pillow at home, of all things. But I made it work, and had such a nice weekend away.

I was greeted at the end of our driveway by my husband 💜 What an incredible way to come home. The kids followed within the minute of my arrival. It was pretty awesome to be received so warmly.

I LOVED my time away. I felt LOVED while I was away.

I LOVED coming home. I felt LOVED at home.

Thank you, Lord, for this weekend. I feel incredibly fortunate 💜

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I’ll show you what Brady and the kids were up to tomorrow 🙂

Behold! What you missed this last week!

Ok, I’m pretty sure you saw this already. Maybe? I don’t know. I bought some super cute cotton yarn and made really bright, summery dishcloths. I can’t tell you why I like these colors so much but I just really do.

Dekker looked like a teenager this one morning, so it needed to be captured 💜 Ugh. This kid just keeps growing.

We exchanged our phones this week, as you know 🙂 I didn’t get a picture of the three of us, because Brady was being responsible and we were hanging back a bit. But we had fun 🙂

Also this week, I bought something SUPER exciting at Value Village! Ok, so probably I’m the only one who cares, but this thing is the cats pajamas. Its a yarn winder! I will admit that I did buy one of these for myself brand new last year for my birthday. If I remember right, it was about $60. This one, I paid $3.50 for. It needs a clean up, but its way sturdier than my other one. What a steal!

A while back, one of Brady’s friends, Doug, drove out to show Dekker around his trailer and all his tools. He gave Dekker a bunch of stickers and one of this company hats. It was very cool of him to make such a special effort for Dekker! Turns out, he has been working on getting hats for ALL the kids 💜 They are a total hit, as you can imagine. I’m partial to Waverly’s hat, but who is surprised by that?

Brady and I got to go for a solo walk just the other day 💜 It was nice. When he uses the Batec, we can hold hands! Between having a bunch of young kids and now paraplegia, I’ve really missed holding hands.

We put the Batec through some rigorous testing this last week and I think we’ll try to keep it on the road lol! Brady was able to get through everything by driving with his right hand and pushing his wheel with his left. Thank goodness for his grippy outdoor wheels! We got through, but you’d better believe we took a different way home!

This last picture was worthy of a giggle for me. You know when you try to drink out of, say, a wine glass or champagne flute, and you also have a nose? And it just doesn’t work?? This is the toddler version, hahaha!! Her hat made it next to impossible to steal that last little drop, but she maintained her style while earning that teeny little spec of coffee. She’d say it was worth it.

Thats been our week! Pretty quiet, but in a way we are completely happy with. More rowdy days to come, I’m sure. If the weather can ever sort itself out, hopefully we’ll have grass started sooner than later. Sod? Spray? Seed? Always planning for whats to come…

Today’s Finish Friday is brought to you by this plaid shirt, hahaha!

Cher got this shirt from Cabela’s a while back and I was instantly very jealous, hahaha! I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I LOVED it. Turns out it was half price, and I drove in to Saskatoon the very next day to buy it for myself. Its kind of fallish, but it also isn’t just fallish. It works for anytime. I love the colors so much.

So as I sat and worked on my crochet projects, this shirt just sat in my closet, staring at me. And I do mean it stared at me, because from my side of the bed, I can see into our walk-in closet, and that sucker is right there. Looking at me. Still. Anyway.

I couldn’t shake it. So I had to make it.

Ta-da!!!!

#shakeittilyoumakeit

For the details…

This blanket is pretty square. Its about 5’x5′, with twisted tassels. Its beefy and will be really warm. Maybe not one an adult could wrap around their shoulders, but a good one to sit with on the couch. Also would be a goooood cozy choice for a kid! This one in particular is tied nice and tight, so while there is still stretch and comfort, there are fewer holes and snags.

To me, this blanket is a testament towards unlikely colors going SO beautiful together!! I owned this purple yarn already, but it just sat. It was a more reddish purple than I usually gravitate towards, so I hadn’t reached for it. Navy I always have, because we need some good dark colors that aren’t always black. And that orange. Never would I have bought that orange. I have loved orange in my life, and there is still a place for it. This orange, however, it a little weird and dark. But not like that nice deep dark spicy orange. Its just – weird orange. The label claimed its carrot orange, but I call foul. Definitely 🙅‍♀️ not 🙅‍♀️ carrot 🙅‍♀️ Who would’ve thought these weird colours would go so beautifully together?? Not I! But I am so grateful I had the chance to prove myself wrong.

Sometimes we’re just inexplicably drawn to something. And I am not mad at it!

Happy Friday, friends! 💜

You’ve seen Wavy in her many outfits. I know I’ve shown her style on the blog before. She is terribly cute regardless of her clothing choices, but her personality shines in all kinds of different ways. She loves clothes. And she loves to change her clothes. Aaaaall the livelong day.

That being said, today is pink day.

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She is rocking a pink dress, with a pink shirt and a pink hoodie overtop her dress. Also leggings, and her new hat from Greenlee Construction.

Her outfit alone spoke for itself, but then this picture showed up and it was undeniable. We commented on how pink everything was, and she giggled and announced matter-of-factly, “Ya, its pink day.”

So mark it on your calendars, folks! March 31st. Pink Day. Report your participation to Miss Waverly, making of rules.

Did you hear it like “The House that Jack Built?” Because I sure did.

Aaaaanyway, Brady built a bed frame!

My mom commissioned him to build her a simple, sturdy bed frame. The purpose was to hold a single mattress, but to fit a second mattress underneath it. She wants to be able to have people come to stay, but the two single beds set up all the time took up SO much space. So this was a perfect idea for her. Brady was confident he could make it happen, with some style and class too. The legs are super cool and VERY sturdy. To save some time and money, we used an extra set of bed slats from Ikea, so that was also a win!

I’m petitioning for one for us next. We have some mattresses I’d love to move out of our furnace room and into a bedroom, so this would likely solve that issue! Me next!

Today was a day we’ve been waiting for! A day where Brady, my mom, and I can all go in together and get new phones! Our original plan way back was for my mom to inherit one of our phones when we went to get new contracts. But as time has gone on, Brady’s screen got cracked and one of my speakers got crackly. So while the plan changed a little bit in that way, we made the plan to go in together and add my mom to our account! Doesn’t hurt to get a little bit off of all of our bills, right?

Right. All three of us were long out of our contracts, so it was definitely time.

The last time Brady and I had changed our phone plans was last summer. At Kinasao, we have zero wifi options. So we always are using data when we’re on our phones. Which is fine in the way that we don’t need to live on our phones when we’re at the lake 💜 But we also do use them pretty frequently. Brady is active on Insta now, and I blog every day. We need some internet. So last year, we boosted our data plan in an effort to worry less about rolling over our gigs. Telus finally offered unlimited data, with the speeds slowing after 15G. So 15G each of full speed high speed data. We got that plan for only $5-10 more than what we were originally paying.

When we went in today, one of the first things they told us was that our plan didn’t exist anymore. They said we could keep it, but could never tweak it or change it really. For informations sake, we were told the next best plan was another $10 up, and it would give us 45G of worry-free internet EACH. Now that is WAY more than we need, but it was enough to tempt us. Now, I am a firm believer in finding good deals, but knowing the difference between necessary good deals and unnecessary good deals. If you buy a million good deals, you’re still spending too much money, right? Right.

But then they told us, by adding my mom to our account, we all save $10 off our plans.

Meaning this new, WAY better plan, was the same price as the last one.

Sooooo thats how we walked out of there SO set up with amaaazing plans! Our internet at home often sucks, so we spend a good chunk of time with our phones off of our wifi anyway. This way is just so worry-free, and you’d better believe thats something we value a lot in this family!

Brady got the dark blue phone, and my mom and I got the super light pink ones. We all got clear Otterbox cases, screen covers, and fast charger bricks. It was successful, and we are TIRED. Hahahaha! Yikes!

What a great day 💜

You know how camps have work days? Redberry has work days. Kinasao has work days. Like a big ole clean up where you prepare for the season ahead. Lots and lots of people come, take on jobs, inside and outside, easy or difficult, whatever there is to do. They eat a yummy lunch and work hard. You know those days.

When I look around my home, I feel like we need a work day. A whole big fat work day.

A day where furniture moves into different rooms.
The pantry is reorganized.
The under the stairs storage area is gutted, gone through, and reorganized.
The shed is gutted and purged.
The dishes move around the kitchen so Brady can reach all the important things.
The kids closets are free of toys and books that belong in the toys and books, and all paper is recycled.
The basement toy shelf is unloaded, sorted, and put back together.
The floor gets a GOOD vacuum.
The lightbulbs are all switched out for the LEDs we have, waiting.

The day would close with a gigantic dump run. At least that would be my real hope.

It sounds great, doesn’t it? Yet, I know its my home, and my mess, and my responsibility. But I’ve never felt so behind, buried under all of our stuff and the jobs that we’ve fallen so far behind on.

But. Adulthood. Ugh.

For the record, if there were a work day, I would have pulled pork, buns, and coleslaw for everyone. Just sayin’. It would be a sweaty – albeit yummy – day.

We’ve been having SO much fun creating stuff over here! It all feels very Spring-themed these days, and that is ok by me! You might’ve seen yesterday, but Brady made a handful of propagation stations to sell! They are a completely gorgeous, minimalistic style, made of hardwood with dovetail joints. No nails or screws in these things. They are beautiful, and I’m very much hoping all but one sell so I can have one.

Or I’ll just keep the man. He’s even cuter than the plant stands.

His works are far above mine, but I’ve been playing with some super bright colors that make me feel VERY Springy! Just a little stack of dishcloths, but they belong at our lake spot. Or your lake spot. Or your kitchen. Definitely my kitchen.

I always have a few projects going. The cloths are an easy thing to work on without having to think too much. When I have a couple of hours to actually think, I’m starting to work on my next commissioned tartan. Like I’ve said, there is an amazing amount of math and prep work that goes into them before an order is even really confirmed. So I’m working on that when I have down time, and things like cloths or plant hangers when I have more distraction around me 🙂

If you’re looking to add a little color to your life, whether its leafy green or otherwise, you know where to come!

I’m starting to think I should make Saturday the day where I catch you guys up on what else has happened during the week. I love posting about intentional things, but then some other things get lost in the mix. So behold 💁🏼‍♀️ the things that got lost in the mix of the week!

I started making plant hangers this week! They are suuuper cute, in my opinion 🙂 I also really enjoyed trying to explain to Brady what “boho” means 😆 (Prices range from $15-25, depending on size)

Laela has a stuffed bunny named Chester that she really loves. The other day, I believe the 22nd, was Chesters birthday. At school, Dekker got special permission to print off some gifts for Laela in honour of Chester’s birthday, and he tracked her down at recess to give them to her 💜

Brady and I hit Value Village the other day in search for rubber boots for the kids who needed them for the season. We came across this penis Paris themed container that warranted a photo.

We did eventually find some boots, thankfully. Apparently we are late to the game! Yikes!

Aaaaand we saw these cute little summery guys at Canadian Tire. I know my kids would LOVE them, because they LOVE soft things, and they’re SO excited about summer, but they were $15!! 🤮 Cannot justify that five times!

Brady and I tried out the local Olive Garden, finally. Thankfully their lunch menu is nice and cheap. We both really enjoyed it!

Cher taught us some medical terminology that gave us a good laugh!

Another good laugh was Rowan losing his last front tooth. He lost it at school and came home with a mad lisp, hahaha! It was AWESOME.

The internet showed me some super cute photos of the boys when they were so much littler 💜 Oof. They keep aging…

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Aaaaand closing this off with a picture of Brady and I as we waited for his Instagram live to start last night! We had a final video with them, where Brady and I both answered some questions and talked about how the Maker Community Project has changed our life. We had a lot of good laughs and a lot of warm encouragement. It was a lot of fun!

Thats it, friends! Thats our week in a nutshell! Care to share anything from your week with me?? Drop it in the comments 🙂 I care about your time, too!

Today I wrapped up my first ever commissioned family tartan blanket! I have been really enjoying making the woven, plaid blankets, so this was a welcomed challenge! I put away what I had been working on and went for it!

The client – a friend of mine – sent me a tartan, which I rebuilt on a website called plaidmaker.com. The reality was that the thread could not line up accurately, because it was hundreds and hundreds of strands. So I had to just try my best to make it close. There is more math involved in these plaid blankets than you’d think! The pattern because more saturated, but it was close. I had the proof confirmed, and got to it!

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This was the most complex plaid I had ever taken on, and while it took a bit more concentration, it wasn’t actually that much harder at all! More color changes, for sure, but definitely doable!

In the last couple of days, I’ve worked on the assembly. Weaving in all the chains and twisting up the tassels. And today – voila – it is DONE!

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The tartan has only TWO strands of red in the whole thing, but they pop SO beautifully! I love them! 😍

I learned a few things making this blanket. I was worried it would be WAY too long, but I made the chains shorter and let them be a bit tighter. It holds the blanket WAY nicer than leaving them looser. Less holes. More structure. And an appropriate length for a throw blanket. I am SO happy with how this one turned out!

Aaaaaaand… best of all… its kid approved!

Deller: You finished it?? Can I hug it?!?!

Now if I could just pump out a couple thousand of these real quick, we could build a house! 😆😩😵