...from my crazy family.
(Photo taken in August at Graeagle, CA.)
Give your kids some imagination kits!
Yesterday we went to Seattle for Keston's check-up at Children's Hospital. (She had heart defects as a baby - VSD and pulmonary stenosis.) On the way to the hospital, we stopped at one of our favorite little gems, the Creation Station.
The shop is full of all kinds of recycled odds and ends, perfect for kids to imagine and create with. They were green before it was ever cool. There is a whole shop full of supplies to buy, or you can stuff a bag for a set price. OR, you can go into the Creating Room for a couple of hours, use everything in the room, to�let your kids up-cycle�to their heart's content.
I purchased some extra, and have four Imagination Kits to give away to you, my lovely readers! Let your kids go wild, and put your feet up and read a few blogs. Leave a comment if you want one, I'll have the kids pick some winners next week. I think it is my two year blog birthday anyway, so that works nicely. Because the blog law says you must give away presents on the blog birthday.
And an update: Keston's tests indicated that her VSD (hole in her heart) is completely healed, and her stenosis is much milder than her last visit. And as of yesterday, she doesn't even need antibiotics before dental visits. Woohoo!!
So leave a comment for a chance to get a bag of free time!
A milestone birthday is coming up around here. ....and I love to torture my kids by setting their gifts out days ahead of time. :)
100% recycled & 99% compostable gift wrap: newspaper from the bin, free raffia scored at a garage sale, and yo-yos made of recycled bits.
I noticed this as I was preparing some beer bread, to take with us to the annual beer hunt. (Click on the bottom photo to enlarge). Happy to see that it is severed finger free.
favorite photo, christmas 2007:
{cookies for santa, in pink striped tights.}
{after finding an Island Princess Dress, left by Santa. There was immediate removal of the pink princess dress, which hasn't come off for months, except for bathing. And immediate donning of the Island Princess Dress, which won't come off for months, except for bathing.}
{one of many buffets of cheese.}
{last book of the advent collection.}
{lots of scrabble and chai with Mady. despite the lack of consonants, I won this round.}
Yesterday I put away the decorations and took down the tree. We're ready for the fresh start of the new year. I love that! And for today, we're quite excited about the prospect of snow.
Merry Christmas
Cookies aren't technically crafty, but I take great care in the frosting process. It should be considered crafty. Notice the many shades of green for the trees? Notice I had brown frosting right there but forgot to do the trunks? Granted, it was probably midnight. (And in case you were wondering, the kids got their own to do, but ate them all before I took the photos. Mine are in the freezer, ready to be added to the cookie plates.)
Here's the finished, stuffed soft trees. I still want to do a tall skinny one, and some with added buttons and such. These were my practice guys. Allison, the pattern can be found here, and there is a flickr group for them too. Side note: Little Birds, where the pattern is from, used to be my favorite blog! She stopped in April, but you can still read all the archives. It is just lovely. Especially November and December. And all the rest. I have been going back through it lately and loving it all over again. I didn't really get into the button wreaths last year, but now I think I might do one. Side-side-note: she is half of 3191, a very cool daily photo blog. Also, her artist sister has this blog.
Some people read in bed. I prefer to make stuff. This is a hybrid pillow. Not really handmade, not really store bought. ...You get a placemat (this one is from Target) for about $3.99. Seam rip one side apart, about four inches. Stuff it with poly (or wool?) and stitch it back up. So easy, like half an hour, mostly spent in stuffing. I was taught to add fill in tiny bits so that things aren't lumpy. So this one is already wrapped and under the tree, for Mady. I came across the idea on someone's blog a couple days ago, but can't figure out where, to credit her. Great idea, who ever you are!
Also crafty, is Kari. :) This was at Paper Party this weekend at Treasury. Popular place that day! (Hi Chantel, Stefanie, Hillary G., Naomi, Hilary, Kristie, Quinn, and Angela! Did I forget anyone?) Paper Party is held each month at Treasury, and is completely free. Usually it's the thrid Saturday of the month, at 10, 11, or noon. Just call in advance to reserve a spot. At this one, we made transparency winter mini-books. And since I'm not an employee anymore, I can brag all about Treasury and not be cheesy. :) If you are new to scrapbooking and paper crafts, it is a great way to start learning stuff. Did I mention free?
And my final craftiness this weekend are these little mini-tissue holders. They hold the tiny packs of Kleenex, for in your purse or whatever. These two are my trial-run testers. They turned out ok, but maybe slightly off-center. I am going to be a tissue holder factory this week. Do you want one? I'll give away these two slightly off-center ones. Just leave a comment and I'll randomly pick sometime next week. How can you resist my tester craft? One day when I am famous, they'll be worth millions. Like the coins that have misspellings and stuff.
Leave a comment. All the bloggers like comments. Even if we don't kow you are reading. It's not weird, you're invited to read! :) {Click where it says 3 comments, or however many, at the bottom of the post. It will take you to the comments section, where you can read other comments, then leave one. You can do it by just entering in your first name, then your email address. You don't have to fill in the URL part. Then just submit the comment, enter in the code they show you, and you're done. Easy!}
My oven has been tempermental lately. (My mops friends would attest to that, after I proudly served up a french toast egg casserole dish. Raw. All the raw was cleverly disguised under the lovely golden brown crust, to my defense.) Anyway, on with the story, $151 later, and my three year old oven works again. I spent many hours baking yesterday, and have many to go. I like it.
I don't think it would be Christmas without a gazillion cookies lined up in my freezer. Special ones, only made at Christmas. I'm adding a new one this year, Spritz. I found a just-like-new old type copper cookie press while thrifting. It is the funnest thing ever! We have spritz camels and scottie dogs, spritz snowflakes and stars. And spritz hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. Because nothing says Christmas like poker.
baking agenda:
Here's the finished advent! I feel so organized, not rushing to do it November 30th at midnight! The basket is stocked with a collection of books about Christmas or winter. Every night in December, through Christmas Eve, we'll cozy up on the couch and read the book of the day. I think the idea originated with Family Fun a couple years ago. In years past, I have wrapped each book, but decided to forego that in our efforts to be a little greener and less wasteful, and just tied them up with jute. ( Also, past years I haven't had enough books, and just wrapped up library books. That works too. Some of the books we're using this year are on my sidebar.)
Can you just feel Christmas in the air? I love it!
...as in, deck the halls. :)
I am pretty much finished up with the Christmas decorating. Today's tip: if your favorite decorating item is free, you can go all out. Which would explain the very cold treks down the road to our little forest with a wagon. And lots and lots of cedar! I love decorating with fresh greenery. Cedar always holds up much better than fir, and you won't wind up cleaning needles off the floor incessantly.
This year it is all about natural around here. Pinecones, little deer, little trees. And some thrifted stuff thrown in for good measure. From my dinner table, the Shiny Brites, white ceramic deer and glass hurricane are cheap Goodwill finds that I've found during the year and tucked away for Christmas.
Last week I was busy making things. In multiples. I was like a factory, really. 200 invites for my side job at Edward Jones, and a ton of placecards that were owed to my sweet "adoptive mom".
Sorry for the horrible photos. I had to get a new camera a few months ago, and just haven't adapted well to it. It's a decent point and shoot, but the settings don't seem to agree with me...
And yay for vintage tree lights found at the thrift store. I have most of my shopping finished, whirlwind fashion - made a list, bought it, done. Mostly wrapped. I learned a lesson last year when the much sought after Moon Sand was discovered in the furnace closet three weeks before Santa planned to deliver it. Not this year.
Next it's on to making minty fudge and getting out the Christmas CD's. Except that for the last two years I can't find my Jewel one, and I stay in denial that it will show up so I won't have to buy another one. Jewel is lovely, don't you think?
Happy weekend! I am off to the Holiday Open House at Treasury.
This little girl had the best day of her life. A cloud of pink followed her all day.
how did you know?
You were a VERY popular lady around our house yesterday. Jenson nearly broke a leg by jumping out of the car to get the package from the front door. He is one happy roller-coaster K'nex guy right now!
It's too bad I neglected to send you a birthday gift... It's here, really!:) Thank you for making the best day ever for these kids. xo Love you. ps- Kes is obsessed with greeting cards. Especially sparkly pony pink ones. Nicely done. You will get a special name like Cookie Grandma, but you will be Sparkly Auntie.
We had a lovely evening this week to celebrate a special birthday. She and I have been friends since we were five years old. She has been gracious enough, over the years, to share her whole extended family with us.
And aren't we also blessed to get to enjoy such a beautiful home and garden? Lots of my own chilhood memories are here, too. We ate our dinner and dessert in the gazebo with birds singing in the background. It is straight out of Country Living, don't you think? Vintage dishes and embroidered lace tablecloths at each little rustic table.
And my "adopted mom" is the sweetest, best hostess! She pulls off these family get-togethers for almost every holiday, everyone's birthdays (including mine!), and a few more for good measure throughout the year. She never gets worried about the kids breaking things, and is quite gracious when accidents do happen, and says, 'it's just stuff!'. She is an incredible matriarch. Her other half is pretty wonderful too, along with the rest of the family.
Everything is so picturesque, I couldn't decide on just a few. Incidentally, this is the same garden where I took the photo of the bird's nest with eggs that is my banner. Enjoy the tour!
On July 1, 1995, I became a mother to this lovely girl, Madyson Kylee Ellars. She is amazing. A gorgeous baby, very happy, and so smart. She was reading when she was three, and has a gentle heart. I love her to bits!
I can hardly believe she's 12 now! In middle school, a 4.0 girl, and still a gentle heart and gorgeous. She is a blessing to us every day. She is the best big sister, so patient and good to Jenson and Keston.
We had a perfect day for celebrating her. We started with brownie waffles for breakfast. (That was straying from tradition - I have made M&M pancakes for each kid, every year, but this was a delicious change).
Then we went to Silver Lake for a fun afternoon of grilling Gardenburgers, playing ball, S'mores, rolling down grassy hills, and a tour of the lake in pedal boats. It was such a nice family day, and wonderful time to celebrate our beautiful daughter. We love you Mady!
Happy Easter! We had a lovely day with lots of family, a delicious meal, and thankfulness for Jesus rising.
And, the egg hunt. Such a beautiful place for our egg hunt every year! My "adoptive mom" is an amazing gardener. We also had the 5th annual "grown-up" hunt alongside the kids'. The rule is that the big people don't touch the plastic eggs, and the little people don't touch the bottles. I'm proud to say I came up with the tradition myself. :)
Here are the treats I made for my family. Straight from the pantry, no shopping required. They'll never notice, right?
Frank spoiled me with daffodils and a gorgeous blooming topiary from Garden Spot. I think it might be jasmine. Very sweet.
Hope you are all having a lovely day, too.
{This is love.}
So today was my birthday. Thirty-five. Had a wonderful day, and was spoiled rotten. My morning started with my dear sweet friend Jen bringing me a crab souffle for breakfast to go with the caramel macchiato and biscuits and gravy Frank made me. So very delicious! Wait, back up, my day started with my dear sweet Jenson waking me up by hugging me and singing Happy Birthday. He was already dressed in his "party clothes". Such a good, good boy. My whole day was lovely! Pretty much spent half of it eating, it seemed like. :) But now, in my old age, I need to get to sleep. More details tomorrow.
It's a Clash song, do you know it? Lyrics are here. Frank is a huge Clash fan, some of it rubs off on me. But, that's the song, I'm all lost in the supermarket, I can no longer shop happily... I'm a Jewel girl myself, but Clash isn't so bad. Although sometimes he makes me listen to some really horrible stuff like old Hipsway and New Order. Smiths are fine, Depeche Mode, sure, but I had to draw the line at Hipsway.
I digress.... so keeping in line with my love for February, and how I even like seeing it all over the place, here's a little sampling.... ALL things you can find at the supermarket to make you happy. (Yes, I do say supermarket. Probably too much Clash).
Oh, and look, you can find this, too!
I am already referring to this as my magazine. Seriously, give me one little published card and I think I own the thing! Anyway, it is pretty exciting to see it. Probably the first and last, as I am too lazy to submit anything else.
Also, found at the supermarket, my funny friend Margo and her daughter Brooke. I wanted to include a picture of them too, but she said "No paparazzi, no photo!" Margo is the lady responsible for teaching me how to make felted wool. As in, future tense. So that felted wool heart I promised as a giveaway? If Margo doesn't teach me very soon, you might get stuck with a boring old felt-felt heart.
Who takes their camera to the supermarket? You should try it. Happy Groundhog Day! Early spring, yay!
Edited: We just realized the victim of yesterday's car crash on Meridian was on his way to clean beer taps at Billy McHale's. He and his partner (who I always thought was his son, but actually was not), cleaned our taps at Izzy's every week for many years. So tragic. Frank says he was such a good guy, I remember him being so friendly and funny. Just makes you remember how precious every day is. My prayers are with his family. The story is here.
Love this heart that I found thrfting for a grand $2. Very sparkly. I really like February, I love the occasional blue skies, the daffodils and tulips coming out of the frozen ground, thinking that spring might be coming soon. I like Valentine's day, I like all of it. I like walking throught the 'seasonal' aisles and seeing all the pink and red packaging on everything.
So in honor of that, I will do my first blogging RAK (Random Act of Kindness). I will pick a winner from who ever leaves a comment on this post by Sunday night. And, um, tell me why you like February? The random winner will get one of the hearts I am making (see the previous posts) with the felted wool and button, and some chocolate just to sweeten it up a bit. :)
I hope you all have a wonderful start to the month!
...and Silent Night and We Wish You A Merry Christmas!
Last night we had a little dinner party at our house, with our dear 'family' the Curry's. After dinner we went caroling around the neighborhood. So much fun!! People's reactions were varied, from the 3 year old neighbor dancing along, to someone who tried to give us cash. I think people were pretty surprised but enjoyed it overall.
Funny thing was that Chantel was complaining about Steve not getting the right note. But I noticed whenever I wasn't standing next to either them, she didn't have any complaints. Hmm....
We decided to make it a new tradition, so watch out, might be your house next year. I'll remember to stand in the back and sing quietly. :)
My kids are crafty! Mady and Jenson made these lovely pomanders last night. A nice little centerpiece, don't you think?
Another fun family Saturday for us! Just realizing how blessed we are to be together and to do so many fun activities...
Mady won us all tickets on the Santa Train in Wickersham (Wa.). Nice work, Mady! So we started our day off there, and went on the very cool old-fashioned passenger steam train. Santa made his way to each car, and sat with every family during the two hour ride. Jenson was pretty into that; Keston - not so much.
On the way back from the train, we stopped to get our Christmas tree at a charming place called Alpine Meadows. We always get a Noble Fir, but they had something called a Nordman. It is a Russian tree that's similar to the Noble, but grows better here. A little greener, too. We like it.
Tonight we went to a neighborhood party hosted by an amazing woman. She has four children (from about 8 years to 5 months) and homeschools them. Her husband has been serving in Iraq since the youngest was just nine days old. Amazingly strong, proud, organized, sweet, independent woman! We are thankful for her husband Eric. The party was very nice, with lots of our neighbors there. It's a great neighborhood to live in.
So that was our fun day. What'd you all do?
Keston and I are loving having the big kids home from school! We have had indoor snow play, made a gingerbread house, decorated sugar cookies, and watched Charlie Brown's Christmas. Frank even made sock puppets with them. Today I ventured out to get a few new craft supplies to keep them busy.
It is snowing again right now, and I'm guessing there won't be any school tomorrow either. Friday is already a scheduled day off in the district. If you include the Thanksgiving days off, that is quite a vacation! Here are a few pictures of the kids' entertainment.
