Bag Hierarchy

I may have been observed ranting around my house on Saturday morning yelling "Where is the Jamie Oliver Bag?"  

This cannot be confirmed as I was home alone.

I needed the Jamie Oliver bag as I was headed to a farmers market with a hip friend.  

One therefore obviously needs a hip bag.

As an Urban, Green, Eco-friendly, Hipster Family (UGEHF) we have amassed a number of reusable bags.

We like many other UGEHF's use these when shopping anywhere and everywhere.

So we can save the earth.

Except when we forget to put them back in the car and have to use plastic.  

Then we slink out of the store with our heads lowered lest any other UGEHF's see us.  

We vow to weave the plastic bags into hip waistcoats or hats or doormats.

So we can save the earth.

Alas.  Not all bags are equal. 

So on Saturday I "needed" the JO bag made with recycled material, in a lovely grey, with a hip vespa printed on it.  

But I could not locate it.

Not to worry.

I grabbed the much less hip (aka butt ugly) bag I had purchased from Haitian Creations.  While I felt good when I bought it knowing I was helping a Haitian woman feed her family, the product was more function than form, if you know what I mean,  But it had to do and I was sure I would be able to slip its origin into conversation to explain the un-hipness of my market bag thus showing at least some UGEHF qualities.

As we parked at the market my hip friend from an uber UGEHF pulled out her delightful, foldable, reusable market basket.  

I picked up my sack/bag/good-deed-bag and slung it over my shoulder.

Of course as we walked around the market there was never one occasion I managed to slip my Haitian Creation bag story into the conversation.

This issue with lesser bags plagues me.

We have so many but one must be careful what to use and when.

There is the lovely grocery bag that David lovingly fabric painted and bejewelled in Grade 3.  
I love it but not everyone appreciates it.  
The cashiers often ask about it and I say my son made it.  I sometimes forget to add that he made it in Grade 3.  Then they ask me how old he is and as I am packing the bags and getting my debit card out etc.... I say 13.  
Then they tilt their heads and give me a kind smile.  
That split second you can either tell your whole life story or just shut up. 
I usually just shut up.  
Unless David is with me and then I tell them the whole story..... or he does.

There is the very spacious black bag from a hardware store that is useful but says on it that it is green - but it isn't......and no UGEHF wants to look foolish.

There are also the freebie bags one acquires over time.

One must be very judicious in the use of these.....as they often show corporate sponsorship that can easily damage the reputation of a UGEHF. 


Then there is the oft seen faux pas of using the Safeway bags at the Save-on-Foods (or vice versa..... or horror of horrors - at Whole foods!) - the withering looks and muttered grumblings of the cashier are mortifying.

Some bags seem so promising and break too easily.

Others are too big or too small.

Others have baaaad acronyms on them.

So I hope you can appreciate the dhilemma a UGEHF faces en route to a market, a local farmers market.

I found the Jaime Oliver bag upstairs today with some gifts in it I had forgotten I had ..... but that is the subject of an entirely different blog post.

Off to the store now with the right bags!

Saturday morning

Saturday mornings seem so full of possibilities don't they?

Especially now that most of our standing Saturday commitments are over.

And the weather is getting better.

This weekend the kids are on their beloved Anvil Island in Howe Sound at camp and Allan was planning to go off crabbing with a friend.

So Saturday morning was wide open.........

I decided a Farmers Market was in order and my sweet friend Emily was up for the adventure.

There are several choices but we settled on Kerr St Farmers Market in Vancouver.  We set off in showery weather but warm and found this little market.

It was small and mostly produce and baking....

And coffee ...

It is right down on the working Fraser river so we took a wander along the river walk with our goodies and our coffee....

A lovely little market in a beautiful spot......

I think I shall be spending more Saturday mornings at Farmers Markets.....

Wordless Wednesday - Godzilla Strikes in Steveston

Our Sleepy (yet hip and happening) village of Steveston BC Canada has been transformed into a film set for a Godzilla re-make - apparently we now live in San Francisco !  So many people, cables, lights, and ACTION!

Permission

Mothers Day weekend can be stressful for Mothers like me who are doers.  

We don't often sit long enough to be loved on.

We prefer to be the ones loving and busy.

This mothers day I think I got the balance just right.

On Saturday I worked out and ran some errands and did the groceries.  

Then I headed out with these three to a huge craft fair downtown.

As always we had a fun time together, chatting and shopping and snacking and laughing.  

When we got home Allan had been slaving over the kitchen and the BBQ for hours, my Dad arrived with a feast of tasty appetizers and a bottle of wine, David set the table and Lindsay immediately set about making key lime pies in small mason jars.

I sat in the Livingroom.  With my Mom.

We chatted and ate delicious snacks.

We had a lovely meal lovingly prepared by those who love us and whom we deeply love.

We exchanged some gifts and so ended a lovely day of family fun time.

On Sunday I got tea and host of lovely gifts and beautiful, thoughtful cards from my hubby and kids.  

Very spoiled indeed.

We went to church and while the kids were at youth Allan and I had a lovely brunch.

And then I got home and was faced with a choice.  

The list of things I could do was long....endless 
The list of things I should do was long......
The list of things I had to do was short....but pressing....

But when I considered the rain falling outside and the brand new book by one of  my favourite authors and feeling a bit tired.....

I gave myself permission to crawl under the covers and for the next 5 hours I read that book from cover to cover......with tea..... and a cookie.......and random interruptions for cuddles and chats.......some text messages....checking FB........

I was simply delicious and decadent.......

A perfectly lovely Mother's Day!

Sometimes.....

Sometimes 

when life is especially hectic

And all you feel like doing is flopping on to the couch 

and putting your feet up

or going to bed

Sometimes 

that is exactly when you should go

for a walk

in a park

near a beach

with people you love

and a dog (optional)

as the sun is setting

and the light is low and soft

the breeze tickles your skin as it turns from warm to cool

And sometimes

it is in that simple walk that

balance is restored in your heart

and the things that clutter your mind

Fall away to the edges

and focus returns

And a peace settles in your bones that carries you on......

Take a walk friends.

Wordless Wednesday - Botanical Blooms