Crowns aplenty.....

Okay, the pictures are in the wrong order....Damn. How do I always seem to do that. The rest of the post is way.....
way.......
way......
down...... Not the greatest photo, but it made me laugh. I love cows noses. So smooth. So damp. So firm. Did you know they have REALLY long tongues? Maggie nearly licked the camera right out of my hands....literally.
Maggie and April hangin'....
Miss Braveheart, the guard horse....
Baby Madeline....Yes, I know the picture is a bit psychedelic.....I think quite cool....or groovy?

This is the crown that I sold today. Yay!!!!! Briar has been messing with the tension on my sewing machine (ARGH!) so there were two of those bloody snaggy rats nests on the back. DAMN. Anyhow, I sold it for less than I would have to account for the extra thread....Maybe I should have charged more since I used more?????

Olivia's very own crown. I don't seem to have a close up.

I've been working away on my crafts with the plan of selling them on Etsy. Today, I was doing a felting workshop at Marylou's and ended up selling one of the crowns that I've been working on. Wow! I felt awful taking money from someone I knew, I must admit, but it was so neat to sell something!!! My head is BRIMMING with ideas....

Reminiscing...........Good music.....

Oops....So small..... ANYhow, I have found my old Me, Mom and Morgentaler CD. So in love. So happy. So quick to skip the occasional song lest little ears use the words with their little mouths.....

The craftiness resumes....

I'm having a great time making things again. I just needed a slight hiatas after the whole Christmas madhouse but I am now excited again. I am trying to keep myself focused on each project enough to get four-five of the finished project each time. SO I now have four windchimes ready and waiting for their individual photo ops and then I am going to TRY to sell them on Etsy. Oh, how I hope it'll work....

I am also working on felt crowns. A bit of a mess up with this first one, but I still like it. It's actually for Olivia as she was in love with Briar's that I made for Christmas.

I'm still trying to stock a shop with Mom's sweaters on Etsy. I'm having issues though. I keep putting off the measuring....Also, I'm having photo issues. I can't seem to be able to fit the whole sweater in a picture satisfactorily. It's driving me a bit insane and is taking any spark of excitement away from the project. Argh.

New Year, New lists....

Gabe, post-bite from Briar (notice the hidden arm)...
Three little boys out for a walk in Papa's hay barn....
Grandpa and the kids share a dance....
One of Oma's little Dutch treats...
Another one!

Olivia and Maisy in the nighties I made them for Christmas....
My two favourite guys....
Liv holding her newest cousin, Kylon....
Bonnie and Artec....
My brother, Adrian....

I am not one to have resolutions for the New Year usually BUT it seems that this year, I want to have a list. A list of things I want to accomplish. A list of things that I am interested in. And a list of things that I have managed to get done (this one is purely for 'pat on the back reasons').

To accomplish:

- learn some magic breathing technique to improve my skills of patience

- to relax more and enjoy my kids

- to grow a fabulous garden and to make most of our food (I'll have my work cut out for me on the last part of this. I hate cooking.)

- to hold myself back from my very own 'gimmes' (I want to buy less).

- to try to be okay with myself, just the way I am.....If I can just figure out the way I am....(Does that make sense?)

Okay, for someone who doesn't normaly do resolutions, this is becoming a bit long, isn't it?

Interest list:

- felting

- sewing (especially clothes for the kids)

- woodworking (toys)

- basic self-sufficiency

- gardening

Pat on the back list:

Check back.....I'll see what I can do.

P.S. Olivia has a very wiggly tooth. *sigh* She is growing too fast. I just had her, I swear!

SO close!!!!

I am trying SO hard to get all the loose ends tied up with all the gift making! I had planned to take pictures of everything and post them on here BUT I couldn't take the pictures during the day or Liv would see and night-time photo-ops were out for lack of good light. Now I have wrapped the majority of gifts so you'll have to wait to see pictures post-Christmas.
Anyhow, here are some photos of what we have been up to and what I have been crafting that are no Olivia-censored.... I've been making stockings for us all out of a wool blanket that I bought at VV, felted in the washer, sewn into sadly misshapen stocking and then sticked on embellishments. I am pretty happy with the outcome. I meant to take a picture of the one that Liv is making for Maisy but haven't had a chance. It is ADORABLE! Little mushrooms on it. SO cute.
Okay, please bear with my little photos of various outdoor, and sometimes indoor, photo experiments.
We went to our friend, Krista's (and her two girls) for a playdate and wreath making. Fun and crafty!!

Doubling on the rocking dog!

String painting!!

Okay, I think this goes towards Mommy-karma. I get one free freak out and have it forgiven, right? (I'm a turtle. Handpainted by Olivia)
Making candle holders at the Waldorf CHristmas Fair.
Olivia's first braids! She's trying to grow her hair and wanted braids like mine.

We were farm sitting last week. It was a fabulous time and I made friends with this guy, Dezi.
I am loving the look of the leaf bare apple trees with apples still on. They remind me of ornaments!

My brother moved back from Australia and we had lunch with him before Liv and my mom headed out to the Nutcracker!

We've made Christmas ornaments...I actually thought they'd be pretty easy but there have been quite a few steps involved (making dough, rolling, cooking, painting or glittering, varnishing, stringing ribbons, packaging for gifts....)

Our advent tree (there are activites on each one...although many of them I have realized that we haven't gotten around to)
Snowflake making!!!!
Briar made friends with the donkeys.
Liv favourites at the farm were the mules - Minnie and Mack. They were like dogs! Followed her everywhere and snuggled!

Anyhow, I must get back to chasing the little ones and get out the door.

Who made time go so fast?!

So many things I'd love to make, so little time....


Argh. I wnat to write more but I have a couple of things that I need to finish up....

Liberation!!!

These are for bird feeders to make with Liv...
These are for Briar (after I've painted them and added some shoes laces)...
This painting inspires me to paint. Ah! No time!!!

Okay, I am taking over the blog. I'll still write about the kids, the dogs, Jeff (not necessarily in that order) but I feel the need to write about....well, about MY life. An unburdening of the mind and soul, if you will. I'm not totally sure WHAT I'll write but, it'll be mine. One tiny corner all to myself!

So, here goes:

I have been crafting. I am LOVING crafts. The problem is that I have FAR too many idea and not enough time to finish them all. I have always had trouble staying 'on task' and I am now running into this problem again. If only I had an entourage; I could delegate and do all the fun parts, leaving the crappy stuff (cutting out the patterns, preshrinking the fabric, picking up supplies, etc) to my 'team'. OOOooo, it's sounds heavenly and crafty. I could be as flighty as I wanted and still get everything done!

I am trying to make as many of the Christmas presents that we hand out this year as I can. I did pretty well last year, but I swear I started earlier or was more organized. I keep hearing people saying how many shopping (p-shaw! - try making!) days until Christmas and it makes me want to vomit a bit in my mouth.

I have been making Olivia and Maisy clothes that match, a doll sling, felt animals, etc. Suddenly, I had this AWFUL realization that I hadn't made a thing for my sweet little Briar. Now, I have borrowed a scroll saw and intend on making little wooden farm animals for him and maybe a car or two. ACK! HOW am I going to do all of this?!

Gotta go stare at my pile of to-do projects and hopefully, get something done.... (Note to self, STOP looking at Etsy for ideas! I have too many already!)

Hi Kirsten, my sole reader. I guess I am basically writing to you!

Achem...Is that spelled right?

Bobbin' for apples...
We figured out a trick and even Briar can do it!!!
Yoda and Chewbaca...

I thought I'd shock and amaze anyone who still happens to check our blog.... Is there anyone out there?!?! Look, I updated!!!

Here are some pictures of Halloween. Jeff drove down for a few hours of trick-or-treating fun from the boat. The kids were overjoyed!! So was I! Olivia was a cow (mad-cow as Jeff says) and Briar was Yoda. Both looked SO sweet.

Olivia has started her homeschooling and is loving it. I love it too. We have a good time learning about things together. (i.e. Did you know that there are 88 constellations in our solar system? Or that Pluto was intitally called Planet X until an 11 year old girl suggested that it be named Pluto after the god of the underworld? See! Pretty cool!)

Briar is completely vertical now....not just walking vertically, but climbing too. I find him on the table, climbing the backs of chairs, pushing chairs to the counter to climb up. He is a monkey....or a 'house-ape' as Jeff calls them both. He is saying quite a few things now. I find it is just a matter of deciphering what it is he means (like with all babies). He say car, truck, sock (truck and sock sound remarkably similar), Moe (his clearest word), Daddy, Mama, shoe, many, many animal sounds, and thank-you.

I am feeling overly busy (as always) and feel that I am in a constant state of 'frenzy'. But life is good and I'm happy.

Jeff is working lots but has been home for brief periods frequently. He's liking being back int he old house and is closing in the garage in preparation for finishing the basement. The end is in sight and we are both excited!!

My sister is moving to town!!!!! I am SOSOSOSOSOSOSO very excited about it! It feels as if it is a dream and I am going to get a phone call telling em that I've been 'Punk'd'. It'll be FABULOUS to have all the cousins together and to have tea and go to the Farmer's Market and to have Christmas together and ......Okay, you get it. I am overjoyed.

Anyhow, there's my post. Enjoy it. I don't know when I'll have a minute to do it again. Savour it.

Hi Kirsten!!