All of us here at Chaos (even Bear!) raise a glass and send you all a hearty “Cheers!” for a happy and healthy New Year!
None of us made it til midnight last night. We toasted with our sparkling juice (and fancy cups!) and celebrated by getting a little extra sleep.
Hope your 2010 started off with a bang! And thanks for hanging with us over here throughout the years. I have a feeling we are in for a great year ahead!
So I totally skipped Crafty Tuesday this week. Sorry ’bout that. Apparently, I am pretty far into vacation mode and the fact that it was Tuesday, that just missed me completely. I did take photos of all of the Christmas presents I have been delivering and they were all hits, so I’ll share them next week!
The SuperCapes were hits as well, and Em and Ad brought their capes to their cousins’ and they all played SuperHeros. I have some cute video. Also will have to share it next week.
Besides the SuperCapes, the cousins found many things to keep them busy. At the top of the list was capturing and carrying my sister’s poor kitties around the house. Meet one of the most tolerant cats in the whole world. This is Griffin…
He looks like he is being held on Em’s lap against his will here, but neither of the cats seemed to protest too loudly. And they both sought out attention if they were left alone for too long. I know my girls are already missing them, and I think the kitties might just be missing them, too.
We spent most of our time just relaxing, which is what I love about going to my sister’s. It is a step back to nature, the middle of the woods, a place to unplug and detach and just be with the girls…and now “the boy” too! (Ella calls her new baby brother – “my boy” as in, “hey where is my boy?” She cracks me up.)
And try getting six, SIX, kiddies all looking halfway decent and somewhat sort of looking at the camera. It is not an easy feat, let me tell you. (Even Mav has a little smile on his face!)
We also celebrated Ella’s actual birthday. She wanted to go see the “Chickmunk” movie, so we all piled in and over to the theater and watched a movie…
Addie is mad because she couldn’t sit next to Ella, but Ella didn’t even want to sit. It didn’t take Addie long to snap out of her crabbiness…
And then ruin the ONLY photo of my sister and I from the weekend…
Then we had a little dinner at Ella’s fave dining establishment (MickeyDee’s)…
Had some more cake (with blue frosting!) and went for a “swim” in the hot tub…
It was a pretty full and fun birthday, I think…
Then it was time for us to say goodbye and time for the dynamic duo to disband. My favorite photo of the week. I found the “sweet spot of light” at Michelle’s house. Finally. On the very last day.
That shot is SOOC, straight-out-of-my-NEW-camera. I struggled with it most of the weekend and found I am so thankful for warm, sunny, lots-of-natural-light, California. I can’t wait to get back and be able to really play, turn off the flash and shoot. But, right in front of Meesh’s sliding glass door with the reflecting snow – that gave me this pretty shot of our beauties.
So we traveled downstate yesterday for a few more Christmas celebrations and visiting with more family.
I’m already taking bets on whether I will make it to midnight tonight, in order to usher in the New Year. Usually J. and I watch the NY celebration in the LA timezone (which is 9pm, our time) and then we call it a night. I’m thinking being in the Eastern time zone is going to seriously but a tax on the total vacation and relaxation mode I have going this week.
(Yawn.) We’ll see.
Wishing all of you a very happy, healthy and beautiful New Year!
To the cutest, sassiest, and funniest three-year old around – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SasserElla!
I have loved spending the past few days with you and am so excited for your big year of being THREE!
Have a great one, stinker!
Love, Aunt Bean
Well, we have made it safely to Michigan after two days of traveling. But before we left we had a very lovely Christmas starting with our (very successful!) Christmas Eve pageant.
It looked a little sketchy at dress rehearsal, but the kids pulled it together and pulled it off. Miss Addie (assisted by Daddy) was the Star bearer.
And Emmy was an angel again, but she had lines this year!
After mass I was hoping and trying for a sweet Christmas Eve photo but could only contain long enough for this…
There were many things to do like write letters and put out cookies and milk for Santa.
Then it was off to bed, and Santa stopped by.
And all chaos ensued.
Santa was very good to Mommy. (And Uncle Jeff helped, too. Thank you!!)
Now you may be wondering why I needed a new camera. I’ve been giving J. a bunch of reasons for many months now (since my birthday) why I didn’t need a new one like, “Um, my old one if just fine.” “I’m only taking photos of the girls mostly.” “It isn’t like I’m being paid to take photos.”
But he didn’t really listen to any of that – or the fact that my tickets to Michigan was supposed to be my Christmas present. I must say when I opened the box, and got a whiff of that new camera smell, it was hard to protest. My old camera we bought before Addie, so it is five years old. That is not ancient by any means, but it has only 6.1 megapixels image quality – and my new one is 12.3! Dude. That is serious. And it does video. And a million other things that I’m furiously reading the owner’s manual to figure out. It made the allure of the new camera so hard to resist, so I gave in. And then (ever so patiently!) waited for the battery to charge so I could use it.
We got some a few other favorite things as well.
And went out to pick a few lemons for our Christmas drink of lemonade!
And Emma read us the book she got for Addie.
We had a little Chinese food for dinner and then packed the evening away so we could leave bright and early the next morning.
Now Christmas continues…
It’s here, it’s here! My favorite day of the year!
I have always had an affinity for Christmas Eve. I think I like the anticipation and the preparation almost a little more than the actual day of frenzied opening of presents and stuffing full of food. I’ve always loved the whole magic of the night before. And it is finally here.
I spent this evening making sure we had “even piles” of presents and wrapping. And amazingly enough…the wrapping for the girls is done! That is usually what I do after church on Christmas eve. Instead I may be finishing up a few presents for Michigan. Or packing. Yeah, probably packing.
All of the girls in the house are battling colds. I’m refusing to give in, I think they are running, or have run, their course in Em and Addie. But I am not going to get sick. I’m not! I have to go see my new nephew. “Aunt Meesh’s newbowen baby,” that is according to Addie. She can’t remember Mav’s name so she just refers to him as that “newbowen baby.” The way she says newborn cracks me up every time. She is so funny.
There was also a very lively discussion about the fact that Mav is a newborn baby just like baby Jesus this afternoon in the car. The things those two come up with…
Well, I’m going to go get a little sleep so I can enjoy my most favorite day tomorrow and so I can kick this cold, er…I mean…get some rest so I won’t get sick.
And only one more day to be good. It is just so hard sometimes…
Happy Christmas Eve!
Cookies?
Mmm…yes.
Snow?
I guess that is what this white stuff is?
Family togetherness?
Yep – we’ve got that, too.
Really. What more do you need?
I usually try to write Crafty Tuesday on Monday night to post for Tuesday morning, but, uh…last night? I had a “mommy playdate” and well…it was past my bedtime when I got home and I’m moving a little slowly this morning. But it was incredibly fun and so very needed. (Thank you so much, B!!)
So here we are. It is Tuesday and I have a few things to show, I guess a few things I can show. (Look away if you want to be surprised Meesh!)
I have been finishing capes and I think….they are done! Until we get back from the holidays. Then I have three to make that first week in January for birthday gifts. But the ones that are needed right now – they are done.
For Gabella Ella –
And Madey Mo –
I finished Emma Grace’s finally, too. Poor thing she has only been asking for one since I did Addie’s for her birthday…in September! But Em’s cape always got put on the end of the list. I haven’t photo’d it because she has been around and is probably going to read this over my shoulder, so…we’ll get it after Christmas.
I also finished some burp rags for Mav. They seem a little big – but I backed them in terrycloth, so if nothing else they can use them as pee-pads. (Like those ones they have for puppies?) It seems that the little guy likes to “shower” the kind people who are holding him.
And, hey! I think I can put up our Christmas card now, I believe they are all delivered.
This was the front. It reads “Brown paper packages tied up with string…”
And the inside. “…wishing you all of your favorite things this Christmas season.”
I wish I could take credit for it – but a friend of mine told me about doing this one year and when she said the “brown paper packages” part I was instantly hooked. The Sound of Music is my favorite movie and I knew that I wanted to do something with that for our card. Don’t let the very simple design fool you though, they were kind of a pain to put together. But I like how they turned out. And I adore the photo taken by our lovely and very talented friend, Rose!
Okay, what about you? Can you take a few minutes to share something? I’ll be back later to peruse, right now I have to go finish three more gifts!
“It’ll all get done. It’ll all get done. It’ll all get done!”
Hey, what do you know? If you keep chanting that mantra in your head, it sort of, kind of, works!
I’m surprisingly kind of calm, with very little (ok, maybe a leeetle) crankiness, even after this past week of mayhem. Oh, I still have plenty to do and we leave for Michigan in one week (Yahoo! New nephew here we come, be prepared to be all cuddled out by the time we leave!), but it all seems very manageable and doable. And, dare I say it? Enjoyable.
Yes, we might even get to enjoy the holidays this year.
A few things that are contributing to the enjoyability (I may have just made up that word) of the season:
(Em and Audrey after their Christmas program – the white gloves on Em
were for the dance number – jazz hands!)
(Addie trying to muster up an angelic look during her program.
And afterwards testing out the “twirlability” of the Christmas dresses.)
(Gracie trying to congratulate the two monkeys on their performance – Ad and her BFF E.J.)
(I told them they could do a silly pose if I could get one “nice” photo. Needless to say I have a string of these shots…and not one “nice” one.)
So we have rehearsals for the Christmas pageant, costuming (hopefully not too many alterations!) and the pageant on Christmas Eve this week. Plus, many gifts to finish sewing. And, of course, lots o’ wrapping to do.
But I have a good feeling it’ll all get done.
Hello my crafty peeps! I’m sure that you are all like us here and running around like mad, busy, little bees. Just a quick little check-in. I have a few things I can show – and a whole bunch of stuff I can’t!
I have completed my SUPERcape orders. I think I did 9 capes last week. Many more of the princess ones –
And my favorite one. This one is for Addie’s teacher’s grandson. I love the black and gold together.
And my little model showing off the inside of the gold cape.
So I have a few more to do, for nieces and friends. And then I may need a break from the cape for a bit.
This week I am trying to get some teacher gifts done. I made personalized coffee cozys for each of the girls’ teachers, since they have all been known to have a Starbucks in their hands most days at drop-off. Ah, but you have to give her a break – Mrs. K. has 22 first-graders for 7 hours a day! That deserves a Starbucks, or two! (And I’m going to stick a Sbux gift card in each of the cups, too.)
I also did some personalized notecards for each of them. I know not everyone gets as giddy as I do over paper, and paper goods, but everyone could use a notecard or two, right? And I put them in a little fabric pouch that they can use after their stationery is gone.
I also did some waterbottle cozys for a couple of middle-school girls that we know and love. The metal canteens are great, but chilly when the water is cold, so throw a cozy on it. (You have created a monster, Jen! I want to put cozys on EVERYTHING!)
And that’s what I have, well, all I can show. Hopefully by next week I’ll have my Christmas cards out and I can show those…I think they might turn out kinda awesome. My ideas are always very labor intensive, but they turn out pretty cool, so worth a night or two of hard work, right?