Photos from the Road

Here are a few randoms things that made me pick up my camera. The ice in Indiana was so thick...hard to believe it got thicker after we passed through. The second one is a Sundog, a weather phenomena I had read about, but never actually seen before. It is a rainbow ring around the sun that happens with ice crystals. It was 2 degrees that day, with a windchill of -30. Next, a shot of the interior of Chicago...touristy, I know, but I couldn't quite bring myself to be too cool to notice. The last two are of a tree that has been there ever since I can remember, just up the hill from the church where I grew up. I liked it as a kid, and I found myself picking up the camera while driving, which Robb disapproved of, so he took the last picture.

Thousands and Thousands of Words

It's been a long time since I actually wrote about something on my blog. With the holidays being so busy and signing up with Facebook, and with the changes at Vintage, I just stopped really revealing anything from my heart, really. I've been doing, not being. That's not a bad thing. There was much to do. But those unstudied moments are gone and they can't really be recaptured. For a long time before that happened, I had the luxury of taking the time to experience things twice...first in reality, and secondly, in re-counting and re-framing it here.

Being away has given me time to think. The strange frame of sleeping in my old bedroom makes things look much different. Externally, I am just visiting family for Christmas. Internally, I am struggling to find the words to try to catch you up. To try to catch myself up.

It's all just so ironic. We plan. We picture. We project. But then life just is what it is...and it unfolds as it really is: messy, hard, scary, wonderful, funny, exhausting, ironic, measured. We all get the same basic set up. Some people make a lot of it. Some people never seem to get the hang of it. Some people are like me....a little slow to realize what's happening until it's over....

So for now, I'll post some pictures.

Here are our friends who met us in Lansing for lunch. They love us and we love them. Warts and all.


















Here are some shots of opening presents from Robb's family; Some of them spent their Christmas in a hospital, holding a 6 pound newborn with very dark hair, and some of them were spoiling us rotten, and my poor Father in Law was at home relaying messages!










Here are some shots of Christmas here, where it was all about the kids...because...well....just look at those faces!

Merry Merry Merry Christmas!

We are safe here in PA at my parent's house, navigating one full bathroom for 17 people pretty well so far. I so appreciate you all praying about our broken pipes and Robb's sister's adoption. We will probably have some updates on both situations today. But for now, we are lounging in pajamas, putting together leggos and taking lots of pictures. None of which I will post now since there are pancakes to be had...I can smell them coming down the hall to my old room, which has long since become a sewing room....

but the pancakes....the pancakes are forever.

Bless you all!

Hello Friends...

I just have a few minutes to catch you up, but so far, we had an uneventful drive to the suburbs of Chicago. We awoke to frigid temps and beautiful sights of ice on every stick and stone. We spent a wonderful couple of hours in Chicago, despite the 3 degrees/-30 wind chill.

Once in Michigan, the snow began flying in earnest and we were grateful to finally make safe port in Grand Rapids at Robb's sister's house, where we have had the royal treatment. The kids scattered in three directions and have playing their hearts out.

And then we got the call that our pipes had frozen and our wonderful neighbors were pitching in to save Robb's books and whatever it is that is filling our garage from floor to ceiling. We are freaking out a little on the inside about what has been damaged, but we do know that the water went down the hall almost to our bedroom.

Also, we are praying for Robb's other sister Karen who is Iowa trying to adopt a baby. It's not going well. Please pray.

Tomorrow, we drive again and weather is looking pretty funky.

Dremel Your Dog Commercial

So I just did my dogs nails. I usually clip them, which is a pain in the neck...as you probably well know if you have every tried to clip your dog. One Sunday when I was home with a sick kid, I noticed one of those Pedi-paw commercials...it files your dog's nails down. I got a Dremel tool for my birthday and I saw in the manual that the Dremel can do the same thing. Sid is used to the sound of the Dremel from my using it on my other projects, so it didn't bother her. I expected her to dislike the feel of it on her nails, but after the first one, she just chilled out completely. The final result is nice and rounded and not at all jagged like you get with the clippers, not to mention the fact that I didn't make her bleed.

And now, back to packing. This ADD moment brought to you by DREMEL.

My Kids....

Are so ...

well, they are just amazing. That's all.

Calvin had the role of the conductor in his school program, The Polar Express. I glanced at the script when he brought it home before Thanksgiving, but that was the last time I saw his lines because he hid them from me. He wanted to surprise his parents with his part. So he and Mattie worked on them together.

His music teacher stopped me before the program to tell me that "Calvin is PRECIOUS; He's so serious about his part." I told her that I hadn't worked with him a bit and her mouth dropped open. "Well, you just make sure you have a good seat!" She replied.

I was not disappointed. He was fantastic. He knew his part inside and out. He delivered his lines loudly and slowly and with expression. He was serious and in character. I tell ya, I almost exploded with pride.

Afterwards, He was pretty embarrassed by all the attention and asked that we not keep saying how good a job he did. But he did gladly accept the extra apple pie from McDonalds for a treat afterwards.

And later on that night when we tucked Miss Mattie in, her dad told her how proud he was of her attitude. She let her brother enjoy the limelight without any jealousy. Or maybe more honestly, with a lot of jealousy that she managed to overcome without any hypocrisy. She was proud of her brother and we were proud of her for being such a truly sweet person.

Cookie Love

I made the Christmas cookies. I sent them to Robb's work. And I got this in return...Flattery will get you everywhere, guys! You are so welcome!

MY SISTER IN LAW!!!!

So I was cranky a few minutes ago, but imagine my delight whilst reading down through my blog-reader list, to TRASH THE DRESS, a fun, theme photo-blog that friend Tammi recommended over a year ago....

I click on it, only to see my cutie-patootie Sista-friend Ashley! "HEY", my brain screams...."I KNOW THAT GIRL!!!!"

I love these pics...they were posted on Ash's blog a while ago, and my brother actually took a pic while there of an empty chair that won him a little photo contest too. But it was fun to see them here. I feel a li'l tiny bit famous.

And seriously, how lucky is my brother?

Monday Morning Status Report

School: not canceled despite truly slick roads
Milk: out
Bread: won't make it through the week
Stuff that was supposed to go to school this morning: not present
Overall attitude CRANKY
Lightbox: just realized I need to turn it on if it's going to help
Plusses: Neighbor drove the kids to school and the house is full of cookies

When good gingerbread goes BAD

very bad.....

Meet the Lightbox

I am, as they say in Arkansas, fixin' to make Robb's Tristmas Tookies but before I do, I am doing my session with the lightbox. Which basically consists of me, doing my usual computer time, with this big lamp over me.

This is my second day with the lamp, and so far, I can say that it easy to use and not too weird to add to my day. It isn't warm like basking in the sun, but it's not unpleasant. It was kind of annoying to set up initially because one of the bulbs was loose and I had to take out 9 screws, tighten it, and then take it apart again because I accidentally left one of the screws inside. It features 3 32 watt compact florescent light bulbs. It puts out some insane about of light like, 40,000 k's or something. Basically, it looks like a sunny morning.

Like I said, it's only day two, but I can say that by 10 a.m. yesterday, I had made breakfast for the kids, packed part of their lunches, was dressed, and finished some of my creative projects. I then organized my shopping list for making cookies and went out the store. When I got home, I cleaned the house and made a nice dinner, and hung out with the kids. I got my studio picked up a little bit, listed some stuff on etsy, took some photos and then chilled out with some tv. I confess I ate quite a few olives at that point. It was a good day, quite frankly. Mattie noticed that when they came home, I was outside raking up the leaves that always blow into our front door. She thought that was kind of interesting...she asked if the lamp made me feel active.

Of course, it might be the placebo effect. I am pretty motivated for this to work. So maybe it's all in my head. We'll see.

But so far, even though the lamp was pretty expensive, it is kind of handy. Because it has a diffusing cover, I can easily use it to augment my product photos. This is always a problem in this house, since like many southern homes, it is purposely made to block out a lot of bright sunlight.

I'll be curious to see how it works as the gray days roll in next week.

And now....I'm going to make forty kinds of cookies! See ya later!

I slept with a stranger last night....

After 12 years of marriage to a guy with a red goatee, I can tell you that I was pretty thrown when this guy showed up in my house last night. He seemed vaguely familiar, like somebody I knew a long time ago, and he certainly made me laugh. I'm not sure exactly how it happened...maybe it was the wine...or he's just a really forward guy....but yada yada yada...I was kissing somebody who felt VERY DIFFERENT from the man I've been with for all these years. I giggled a lot. Then it dawned on me who he looked like...my adorable college boyfriend who wasn't allowed to have facial hair as a Bible college student. It was so forbidden, I jumped on him.

I hope he calls me....

Heck, Yeah, It's Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Untitled

Since my light box had not arrived yet today, I went out for coffee with a friend and some retail therapy; in lieu of the light therapy, they were pretty good substitutes! I wish I could expound, but Hubby smells presents and I really don't dare sit close to him, lest he pick up my brain waves about what his present(s?) is/are. If I got any. Which I'm not saying that I did. Look normal everybody. Be completely calm. Don't blink.

Tomorrow, I'll be back at my other projects, which I also cannot talk about because...well...it's that time of year. No pictures of what I am up to until after the big C-mas.

Speaking of pictures, we got our Christmas cards in the mail today and...well...can't talk about those either...but...I'm happy with them....

What I can talk about....Christmas cookies. Or as Robb has been calling them "Tristmas Tookies." As in "WHERE ARE THE TRISTMAS TOOKIES??? I WANT TOOKIES!!!!" And while my brain has not been much inclined to this activity, it had better get there soon as the kid's school called, requesting a tray; Robb's boss was particularly fond of my peanut brittle last year, and Bobb now has two teams to favor with goodies since getting his promotion, not to mention the co-workers he especially likes who will remain nameless but lurk this blog (Hi Katy!) So cookies shall be produced forthwith and all people will gain poundage from their chocolate-coconut goodness. (I will eat them strait-up from the freezer.)

And in case you missed it while I was in the corner having a nervous break-down,for Christmas, we are driving to Chicago for a day, then on to Grand Rapids to see Robb's sister, then through the Middle of the Mitten to see Donna and Co., stopping at Cleveland Airport to pick up my sister in law on Christmas Eve, only to arrive at my parents where we be with my entire ENTIRE family (17ish I think at last count) for 5-7 days experiencing complete and total mayhem, then down to Pittsburgh to my sister's for New Years Eve, then home again, home again, jiggity jig. What? You are having a nervous breakdown for me? You don't know if all that driving is sane? You think its only mildly crazy that my parents have only 1.5 bathrooms? You can't wait for the blog recap? You want to dogsit? It'll be great. Sanity is so overrated. See this pic? This is what Christmas should look like....a bunch of punch-stained kids and exhausted parents. See if you can find me....I'm there. I'm SO there.

Let's definitely do that again....

We bought a quarter of a local, grass-fed beef a few months ago, and I cannot tell you how nice it is to know that come what may, there is always hamburger to work with for dinner. But since it is all the same price per pound, we also got an assortment of steaks and roasts. It's been awesome to have roasts for Sunday Dinner again... I could never justify the 9 or 12 dollars for one from the grocery store since we moved here, but there is simply nothing in the world like the smell of my roast greeting you at the door after a busy Sunday morning....and if you don't believe me ask Hannah and Derek!

But last night, I had a hankering for a nice steak. I asked Robb to pick up some salad on his way home. Since the cold weather has moved in, I haven't been to the Farmers Market for nice crunchy greens and I miss it! So steak: check. Salad: check. I went to the cupboard for potatoes, which I recall having an abundance of. Imagine my dismay when I found 4 rather runty examples and that's IT.

Well, says I, we have steaks the size of our face, so I guess we won't starve. I'll make these potatoes up and they'll have to do. Since I didn't want to loose anything to peeling them, I decided to try an experiment.

So I scrubbed them, cut them in small pieces (with skin on) and boiled them. As they got soft enough to mash, I sautee'd a tablespoon or so of minced garlic in a dab of butter. I drained the potatoes and added two good dollups of sour cream, a tablespoon of dried chives, and the garlic. And since Robb was in a funny mood, he smashed the potatoes up. We both taste tested and I threw in a pinch or two of black pepper. Those four little potatoes, without losing the skins, turned out to be very adequate for all of us. And I won't hesitate to make garlic mashed potatoes again!

I've got QUILTS!

Hit an estate sale this weekend and got a deal on these quilts and quilt-tops. I am estimating these to be from the 30s and 40s, made of floursacking (flour and sugar were packaged in fabric bags, which thrifty housewives kept and used for quilts). Most of them are entirely hand-stitched and hand quilted. I'm probably going to sell most of them, but I like them too much right now to let them go. I will probably be more motivated when the credit card bills comes next time!

KISS

Keep it simple sweetie.

That's what we did with Christmas decorations this year. Since we are headed up north for the festivities, we really couldn't justify a real tree this year. So when I found this ultra skinny tree at the thrift store (18 dollars, I'll take it and thank you very much) I figured it would be great for next year's craft fair. I couldn't resist putting in the white sticks, though, so at least SOMETHING was "real." Honestly, by the time I got the Yankee Candle to mimic the right tree smell, it would have been cheaper to get the real tree....

I love my husband's take on the nativity scene.