What Mama Wore and Other Good Things: Juno Edition

From the City...

The best thing about dressing for the Junos is that you can do things like wear a fully sequinned butterfly shirt and not even think twice that you might be overdressed because you can pretty much guarantee somebody else will wearing something even crazier, like, silver spray painted antlers...

I kid you not.  

Laura's and my crush, Corb Lund.

Strumbellas on the red carpet, 

Simon and Izz on the red carpet.  Yes, Simon is wearing three collars.  

Night 1: 

Outlaws and Gunslingers Show Put on by Six Shooter Records...So many good acts; Corb Lund, Sarah Slean, Rose Cousins, Royal Wood, Amelia Curran, Great Lakes Swimmers and The Strumbellas!

Night 2: 

The Juno Gala hosted by Gian Gomeshi.  Fancy dinner with fancy ladies and whole lotta booze (cranberry martinis!).  Followed by a sold out Strumbellas show at The Artful Dodger. 

Night 3: 

The actual Junos...so many incredible acts; Metric (Emily Haines is not not hot), Serena Ryder, Hannah Georges, The Sheepdogs, and Classified.  Then off to a universal party where we danced all night!  Think; dancing with Anjulie, Hedley front man, Wooden Sky, etc etc!  Most surreal experience ever.

Robyn and I then dragged our sad bodies to the airport at 3 am for a 5 am flight.  One must never drink all night prior to a flight, this was learned the hard way.  Trust me.  Nothing about being in an airplane intoxicated/hungover is remotely enjoyable.  

Overall, the weekend was incredible.  I was just blown away by our Canadian music scene, so much talent.  I feel compelled to support more Canadian musicians and I suggest you do the same.  

Buy albums, go to shows, buy merch!

Plus Canadian musicians are so damn humble! I could have talked to Martina from Dragonette all night, she was just that cool and down to earth.  

Anyway, now back to reality.  

Theo has the flu and has been puking all night, there is vomit on every towel and sheet we own. 

-amelia 

My 33rd Birthday.

From the country...

1st hatch out of the incubator

New GORGEOUS earrings that I adore.

Went out for noodles.

1 of 2 Mason bee houses that I am SUPER excited about.

Well, look at me thirty three. Not old but certainty not a young wipper snapper either.

32 sounded cooler and 23 sounded even better.

I like getting older though believe me, I appreciate the maturity that has found me.  I feel that you get better with age- more so in your mind.

Man, I wish I had that 23 yr old body...

So my incubator has been rocking all week long and my brooder is full of little chicks. It doesn't stop there though, I already have a new hatch on and am always on the prowl for something new and exciting in the poultry world. Right now I have my eye on a Speckled Americauna rooster to bring home to my ladies and have some Speckled Sussex and Silver Laced Wyandott eggs in the incubator. Also bought myself this new poultry book to add to the library. I highly endorse the Storey's series.

My sis bought and sent me these amazing earrings that I am very in love with. I am not as fond of material things as I once was but man do I love these earrings. They look like the top half of an Easter egg.

We went out for an authentic Chinese dinner. The kids thought we actually were going to China, even though we tried explaining we were only going to China town. Lucas kept asking if we were back in Canada on the way home. We ate at the Pacific Mall in Markham at a place that came recommended for making their own noodles.  It was good, the noodles were fresh and we enjoyed watching and hearing the thwack of the dough being shmacked on the counter while the noodles were being made. We ate in a food court and out of one use plastic bowls and cutlery which was a drawback but the dumplings were really good and I LOVE baby bok choi in a noodle soup. The black bean and bok choi dish was really fresh and tasty too.

My lil' family presented me with 2 Mason Bee homes yesterday morning. It is my first foray into beekeeping. I am very excited to make another space for pollinators at the farm. I want to find a way to have them close to the new orchard that we are putting in this year. I have some research ahead of me to best accommodate these little wonders.

So while my sis is jet setting to Regina to attend the Juno Awards and all the partying that comes with being a wife to a very talented member of an amazing Juno nominated band, I will be attending my first farm auction of the year.

How very different our lives are.

33 here I come.

So this happened...

From the City...

Simon's uber talented, hot, amazing, incredible, hardworking, and freakishly talented band The Strumbellas was nominated for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year at the Juno's!!!! I won't even lie, it's still all sinking in over here.  By no means is this not completely deserved.  These are six people who've driven across Canada twice (in one year), played show after show into the very early hours of the morning- just to wake up and get to their 'professional jobs' at 7 am in the morning, showed love and patience for toddlers who require baths/diaper changes/snacks regardless of what time papa bear went to bed and a band that puts on a live show that will get even the stiffest of folks up and dancing...

As I'm typing away at this, The Strumbellas are on their way home from a whirlwind east coast tour which, when it's said and done; will include two 20 hour straight driving days.

To say I'm proud of them is an understatement.  I am blown away by their drive and ambition and willingness to push themselves everyday. And my Simon, words cannot express what it's like to be married to someone with so much passion and such overwhelming talent, someone who has used personal pain and loss to create something so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.  

Congratulations to The Strumbellas!
xo