Things I didn’t blog

I admit it, I was terrible at keeping my blog up last year.

This post is catch up of important things I didn’t blog about (or started to and didn’t finish!).

My highlight of last year was our trip to Newfoundland, David and I went for two weeks in August to visit my daughter Beka and her boyfriend James – and to travel.

Usually August is not the best month for spotting icebergs, but 2011 was an exception – we saw hundreds!! They were breaking off from a huge ice island that had broken away from the Peterman glacier the year before.  It was very exciting to see so many, we even got to collect iceberg ice from the shore and made tea with it!  Our trip also included fiords, beaches, vikings, moose, mist, soaring cliffs, soft bogs full of amazing plants, wonderful company and delicious food.

Back tracking a bit, earlier in the year I took a class with Holly Cooper, now Holly’s beads are out of this world.  It can take Holly 3 hours to complete one bead, working on a hothead torch she paints intricate designs, with fine strands of (stringer) glass.  To say the class was a challenge doesn’t explain much at all.  I will say that after two days of watching Holly create my mind was filled with possibilities I had never even considered before.

Holly Cooper bead

During Holly’s class I met my soul sister!  We had emailed before this, but she came to stay with us as she was taking the class as well.  It was one of those life things, where all of a sudden there is this person in your life that you share so much in common with.  Right down to things like our mum’s sharing the same birthday, or we’ll find we were doing something very connected without knowing.

Louise beads from the class - Holly has no worries, I have a LONG way to go!!

Throughout the year I’ve been progressing with my beads – looking more at Viking period designs, evolving my Goddess beads and also trying pandora style beads for the first time. I recently entered a bead into an ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers), competition and am waiting to hear i my design will be one of those selected.

Unembellished Goddess bead - sometimes simplicity can really work

Zentangles seemed to be the new big thing this year, we were zentangling on paper and on beads – seems like everyone has their own style for this kind of doodling.  It’s fun and inspiring, if you don’t know anything about it a quick search on Google is sure to turn up all kinds of info.

Last but not least late last year we decided to try a gluten free diet.  David, my husband has very bad allergies so we have cut gluten (mostly) out of of diets to see if there is any improvement.  I thought it would be harder than it has been as bread was a staple for me.  Fortunately I have discovered other options, coconut flour being one of them, and I think we are both eating healthier and feeling better.

Hmmm... coconuts, monkeys, am I beginning to see some kind of pattern here?

In December David brought home Angela who I’ve already blogged about – very brave  of him to bring another cat into the house since he’s allergic to them!

Words that come to mind when I  think of 2011 are -

Icebergs, Vikings, ‘the Maple kind?’, Soul Sister, Zentangles, chocolate coconut flour cake, Munky, NEWFOUNDLAND!

If you didn’t catch the ‘Maple Kind?’ video, check it out here, it really is hilarious.  The person who made it hails from the Maritimes I believe.  I heard that he opened up a Cafe Press or Zazzle store to sell merchandise because the video was so popular. ALL of his proceeds are going to help animals.  Wouldn’t the world be a wonderful place if everyone were like him.