The morning after...

Twas the morning after Christmas and all through the house all the creatures were stirring, well except for a mouse.

The gifts were strewn in piles on the floor while daddy tiptoed and went out the door.

Ski-dooing was all the guys had in mind, while the rest of us settled to play and to craft.

...

....

OK, that is the extent of my rhyming today, I am off to chill and soak up the post Christmas lull.

I hope you all had a great Christmas!

Counting down to Christmas

I just realized that all my photos loaded in reverse order. I guess that when a person is gone for a month things can change...or I just forgot how things worked around here.

I guess I'll just blabber backwards since everything is out of whack.

We are in the deep freeze here. It has been between -30 to -50 here the last few days (with windchill) and this has made for some cooped up days. 

Dave has been out braving it daily with layers and big boots. He now has to start his truck every few hours since a  few night ago he went out to plug it in and the block heater cord broke off in his hand. It is just so cold.

Stuck indoors I was finally able to get dishes sorta caught up, the dining room table cleared off and the living room tidied and vacuumed. Or course having all my Christmas packages finally packaged up and shipped might have helped.

This has all been part of the reasons that I haven't blogged in a month. First I have been tired. I am feeling way better this trimester than the first. However this also means that I have been trying to play catch up from having three months off in the doing stuff department.

I still tire easily but am doing way better. At night though I am still crashing early. For the most part falling asleep with the kids. TV shows have not been watched, (the PVR...DVR to Americans is packed with over 80 hrs of stuff to watch someday) and blogging has been the other thing that falls into that after the kids are asleep time frame.

So are you wondering what we have been up to this past month?

We planned on doing a completely home made Christmas. I had all these great ideas and started creating. However after a few weeks of little progress we caved and threw a few gift cards into the Christmas packages. 

Here is a little glimpse of a few of the things we made. 

These two ornaments are safe to share....I hope. They are for people who do not read the blog. For all of you that do, well, this is why I won't be blogging any of your gifts until after Christmas.

Can you guess who they are for...a bird lover and a biker.....those are my only hints.

Here is the first ornament in progress. This is the pre-bake clay stage. After being baked to harden I painted and then varnished them.

Now I see that all the other home made gifts are not below this so when we get to them I'll fill you in on them. 

A few nights ago we went to see Franklin on stage. (Thank you auntie TT)

Kaitlyn was so excited and wore her Turtle costume and Franklin backpack. Once in the lobby quite a few kids ran up to her exclaiming, "Are you Franklin?"

She ended up enjoying the show while Ethan slept on my lap. The noise and business of a full theatre was too much for him.

Crafting with daddy has been a popular pass time. When I am too pooped and plopped on the couch the kids get busy bringing things to Dave.

And the rocket girl was born.

Back to crafting. These were supposed to be revealed way after the photos of my new sewing machine and that whole story but with everything uploading wrong we won't get to those for a bit. So.... I have a new machine. An early Christmas gift from Dave and I was way too excited to wait. Well actually since we were planning a home made Christmas I kinda needed it so when the big sale was on at Sears he took me down to pick one out.

To practice stitches I whipped up a few owls for the kids.

And she felt the lumpy love I packed inside.

What I was practicing for was all this. I had great and grand plans of making everyone funky aprons and matching tote bags with neat little birds, flowers and grocery items stitched on for fun. Well...since I am blogging about it you can guess it just didn't happen. I sure wish it could have though....maybe birthdays or the etsy shop eventually.

I just couldn't do it. I tried here and there but life and kids and the house just didn't permit it happening. So my dear family, if you wonder why your gifts are small......I am sorry. 

There were other things made instead that had the kids very involved. Only a tiniest glimpsy hint of that.....no spoiling here!

Oh....and the projects! Pre Christmas painting orders. This also cut into the home made gift making but it felt so good to get caught up on orders!

A stolen visit with Grandma was thrown in for fun. We love that she can sneak here on business and take time to see us.

There is just no better place to cat nap.

Ah, ha, here is the new machine! I am so happy with it! The things it can do...110 options! It nearly threads itself and well, it is just amazing! I cannot even imagine how amazing those machines are that cost twice the price but to me this is beyond perfect!

Here are a few more practice owls. These were a bonus gift to a client who was more than patient with me and amazing to work with.

Little gifts made by the kids while I worked on my painting projects.

Above is how Kaitlyn draws people. those are legs coming down from the mouth and arms growing out the sides. It almost makes me cry to see her little personality come out in her art work.

The Christmas village was set up with a lot of help from little hands. After a few nights of the kids getting up on chairs to play I went over to see what they had been up to. I couldn't find any of the little carolers or Santa or the postman....no little people. 

Then I realized that a few of the little houses were sitting on rather odd angles and tipped one up to see why. Out poured the people. They were all at home for the night.

A few weeks ago I decided I set up a mini studio in the living room and try to get a few photos of the kids. I was hoping to enlarge a few and include them as Christmas gifts to family. 

Another big sorry. 

They just didn't go as planned and it was way to late to book an appointment at the studio.

I think that after Christmas we will try to get a Photographer friend out to the lake with us for a photo day. Photos will come, just late.

The best shot I got and it was the one that was blurry. As long as I only print it smaller than 3x5 it should be fine ;)

The bump.

Snow days at the lake.

We have so much fun out there but I still worry about moving there. We plan to sell in the city this coming spring....and move after the the baby due date. Getting house plans together and submitting it all for permits is where we are at. It all makes me so nervous. I get afraid that we will sell here, move to the cottage and then watch the house take 5 years to be built. 

Ok, enough of that. It makes my stomach get all tight.

Ah, deep breath, the tree. I feel better now.

Another order shipped. 

"Ssssccchheeeese!"

Another order...picked up.

Thank you all for the great business this year! I have been steadily busy all year and cannot complain.  I hope that once we have a proper studio operating in our new house I will be able to get even more done. Thanks again everyone!

vacuuming...isn't this how it happens at your house?

Out after a fresh dump of snow.

One of 5 visits to see Santa. This girl gets so excited to see him. After one visit we got home and Dave started a fire in the fireplace. Kaitlyn looked worried and exclaimed, "b-but, Santa might get burned!"

We explained that it was ok, we wouldn't have a fire on Christmas eve.

Then she was worried about "Mrs. Santa''. Dave asked her why. She said it was because "Mrs. Santa lives in the chimney!"

A little more explaining happened.

On the next visit to Santa she was quite eager to inform Santa that it was ok, he wouldn't get burned at our house. 

And Ethan! He is talking more all the time. Though only bit by bit. His most common words are, "I want that. Don't do that. Mine!"

When a tree falls in...my little brother Paul's yard... does the whole neighborhood hear it?

Well we heard it anyway. 

I guess that is a taste of what we have been up to. I couldn't blog it all and there is so much more...the crafts!

I will get them up on my craft blog. We made cards and ornaments and a Christmas count down calendar (I can't remember what that is called), kool-aid playdough and baked candy cane shaped cookies.

I really just wanted to get one here and say 'Hi!'

I have missed you all more than you know and wish I could keep up with you but I know soon when things slow down I will get caught up.

I hope you all have a great Christmas!

xoxo

More than the daily whine

How about some update-y stuff. Boy do I ever sound boring but really if it weren't for Friday school craft class and the odd get together with friends I would have nothing to report except more sleepy, sicky pregnancy stuff. I think we have all heard enough of that for now so since I managed a nap today and am feeling okydoky I'll dig through archives from the last few weeks.
Remember that I got my hair done?

This was a big deal. I needed it badly! Like two inch root bad.

I had this vision of what I wanted and it didn't turn out quite like it. I hated it for the first few days and now it has grown on me. 

I would love this do on someone else but I wanted more subtle streaks and was trying to grow it out. Am loving it now though so no complaints. Seems my hair dresser knows best. 

Now out to the yard. Somewhere we have not been in over a week. It is just too cold out there and the wind, eck!

However we did get out and soak up every single moment of sunshine and warmth before we hit the freeze.

And for some of you who were wondering about Halloween. Only three weeks later but here it is. 

Not the chicken but a turtle. 

Last minute Kaitlyn decided she wanted to be Franklin and dug out her turtle costume. I was sad not to see the chicken but I secretly hope for next year. Ethan went as a screeching giraffe. He was furious at us for making him dress up and it took him 3/4 of a block to get over it and get on with the candy getting.

For a few moments Kaitlyn wanted to go as a ballerina but after much coaxing was talked out of it. There was no way that would fit over a snow suit!

And the crafting. We have been doing tons but rather than post it all here I will eventually get it all up on my craft site. Don't go looking for it now, I am hoping to do it in the next few weeks.

The regular craft of our day has been going strong. 

Painting.

And it always gets out of hand.

Or maybe I should say on hand. Har, har....sad. Blame it on prego, mommy brain.

Dave has been going crazy outside with the Christmas decor and once he kept blowing a breaker realized the limit for the year.

If we stay here and not at the lake I think a new outlet will be in order.

Out at the lake we have been working on plans. After having my uncle who is an architect out we found out that it will be better for us financially to tear down the old place and start new. Not music to our ears but a relief to know what we have to look at.

Now in the evenings rather than go on here (though I would often rather do that) I have been plugging away at orders due before Christmas.

This one is nearly done and I think it will be one of my last portraits for a long time.

I just cannot find the time and energy for them and I just don't get the same satisfaction out of them as I do when I paint what comes out of my head. Weird and maybe selfish but one day when I have time to sit for hours at a time I will get back to them.

Since I have been feeling so lousy I try to take advantage of every moment that Dave is home. I nap. 

He does a lot of the fun stuff and has become quite the crafter. Kaitlyn decides what to make, tells him what she needs and away they go.

Now I just remembered that I did have more to share, oops.

All the pictures are still on the camera.

We went to the Santa Clause parade on the weekend and then I had my birthday yesterday, yup the big 28. Ha, I actually feel pretty young still though I am getting told on a pretty regular basis that I am "SOOOOOOOO" old. Thank you Emily!

Anyway I wanted to say thank you all for hanging in there with me, your comments and e-mails make my day. I hope I can get around and say hi to you all in the next few days, xoxo!

Off to Zzzzz.