My new best friend

So I have a new best friend. 

After considerable deliberation -- over a year's worth of careful thought, actually! -- I had arrived at a list of necessary qualities one's BF should have.  Armed with that list, I set out deliberately last week to find her. 

So what qualities would YOU look for if YOU were shopping for a new BF?  I had decided appearances wouldn't be everything ... but I wouldn't mind if she was ... well ... INTERESTING.  I had also decided that practicality and sensibility wouldn't be everything ... although anyone elevated to BF status HAD TO BE strong enough to be leaned on when really needed.  Finally, I had decided that a sense of humor ... even a bit of quirkiness ... was a definate asset.  AND I FOUND EXACTLY WHO I WAS LOOKING FOR!

Her name is Maide.

That's Irish Gaelic for "stick".  Of course, Maide is not just a stick ... she's my new BF!  My balance is not getting any better, and I'm tired of falling.  Isn't she a beauty?

I found her at our biggest local Christmas craft fair.  I also bought myself some lovely natural beeswax candles ...

They smell SO delicious!  (Okay, the glass of wine smelled ... er ... tasted pretty good too!)

DO NOT read this book by candlelight ...

... and it's probably best not to read it late at night or while you're alone either!  SPOOKY!  (Dean Koontz is very descriptive.)

Isn't it time for a holiday yet?

The past couple of weeks have been REALLY busy for me at work ... several major projects in the works and thus crucial grant proposals to write and multiple meetings to attend. One of our important community contacts walked into my office this past week, and for the life of me I couldn't imagine which project she was there to discuss! She must have wondered why I looked at her with such a blank duh expression. Throw in our Annual General Meeting along with the kick off of our annual Christmas Hampers Campaign and I feel like I'm doing this ...

... and ... YIKES! ... not very well! How do I know this, y'all ask? Because when I sit down for a few minutes I FALL ASLEEP! My body has developed its very own special way of addressing stress. Oh, and I kill alarm clocks ... yes, clockS plural ... they ring and I throw them and smash them into pieces without every waking up. It's most annoying! Especially when I have this book ...

... for 7 days! It was on the express shelves at our Public Library and I thought sure, no problem, I'll just whip through it over the weekend. Nyet. Nope. Didn't happen. (The naps were refreshing though.) Now I have four choices:

1. return the book unfinished and never know what happens in the end.
2. cheat and read the last few pages quick before returning the book.
3. keep the book and pay $1 per day late charges until I'm finished.
4. suck it up and buy the book so I can read it at my leisure.

Any advice????

I did deliberately book last Friday night off to attend our local Studio Fair, the BIG craft fair of the season in PG. It's the only craft fair I've attended so far, and will probably be the last one for this year too. I bought these ...

... a $6 pair of natural bees wax candles. They smell delicious. I REALLY wanted to buy a coffee table made by a local woodworker from beetle-killed pine.

In case y'all don't know, northwest Canada has been experiencing a very serious epidemic of Mountain Pine Beetle which is killing off pretty much every pine tree around. It's devastating the commercial lumber industry. Beetle-killed wood from those pine trees has a distinctive denim blue stain from whatever chemical process that happens as its being killed by the beetle. While the wood is useless for commercial export, some local entrepreneurs are cashing in on it and making small items that feature the blue stain. And it's GORGEOUS!

I've been thinking about buying a coffee table, and would love to own some pine-beetle wood. These felted coasters ...

... would look fab on it! But I wasn't willing to pay the craft fair price. Instead, I took the guy's business card and will call him after the holidays to see if I can negotiate a more reasonable price.

Studio Fair reminded me that I haven't been adequately pursuing the creative things that nourish my soul ... so many projects and so little time! I really need to address this problem.

On a brighter note, look what I discovered this week ...

... one of my Christmas cacti has opened its first flower. It has quite a few buds so will be a really pretty show in a few more weeks.