Post Holiday Ramblings

Eleven days since I last sat down to write a post in this blog.

Eleven days of not being able to find the time in the Holiday Chaos.

Eleven days, and during that time: I went on call for an early January birth; The Tadpole turned 7 months old; I took 386 pictures (386!); I baked four batches of vegan cupcakes and two batches of non-vegan cookies; I agonized over shipping estimates and ran out to my mailbox 22 times; I cleaned out the girl's room, decorated the house, and wrapped presents.

My vegan Tiramisu cupcakes

And I just managed to get through it all without getting completely overwhelmed.

And it was all worth it.

Gift-wise, this Christmas was our smallest Christmas yet. But in all other ways, it was our biggest. The kids didn't notice that there were fewer gifts under the tree. I like to think that it was because the fewer gifts you buy, the more thought you put in to each gift.

And now it's over, the whirlwind has passed, leaving only wonderful memories for my children to cherish.

Now the snow is falling outside, everyone is in bed except for me. The Tadpole has a bad cold right now and hasn't been sleeping well, and I think I finally caught it from him because my throat is starting to get sore. I'm taking elderberry syrup, and hoping it doesn't get any worse than this.

I can hear the wind beating against the glass door. The Tadpole's diapers are out on the back deck, but I am not daring enough to brave the chilly wind to go retrieve them.

I'm hoping my client doesn't call tonight. It would be nice to get one night of good sleep before the birth.

Post Holiday Ramblings

11 Days

We finally put our tree up this weekend. The Knight and I let the girls take the lead this year, and I think they did a fabulous job.

Afterwards The Mermaid picked up The Tadpole and carried him over so that he could get a good look at his first Christmas tree. We already have his first ornament hanging from one of the branches.

Whenever The Mermaid picks up The Tadpole, his whole face lights up. She's usually picking him up to show him something, and I swear he looks at where she points and his face gets serious as he concentrates and studies whatever it is she is showing him.

He may not know what it is, but at only 6 months old, he can tell it is important to The Mermaid that he see it.

I always say that the girls spoil The Tadpole...but I think he spoils them, too.

11 Days

Jingle Bells

The girls were in their first Christmas this weekend. They were in the choir, and sang Jingle Bells. The Mermaid is not a quiet child; I laughed when I heard her voice above the others.
I like our church. It's very liberal and open, and everyone is so incredibly nice. It's a great community and I'm so glad my kids get to be a part of it.
Now their memories of Christmas will be made up of community, instead of just images of the inside of the mall.

Jingle Bells

Three Costumed Beauties

The Guppy was Ariel the Ballerina and The Mermaid was Woody the Cowboy.
The Guppy was Elvis.
Elvis with his cousin Tigger.
My three costumed beauties.

It was a wonderful Halloween.

Wordless Wednesday

Three Costumed Beauties

Snapshots of Our Fourth.

Beautiful seacoast on a sunny day.

He cried whenever we took him off the boat.

Family abound.

A happy grandma, cuddling with her grandson.

A beautiful summer sunset over the ocean.

Bright fireworks

bring a perfect ending

to the perfect day.

Snapshots of Our Fourth.

Easter Hugs

I like Easter because it is so much fun for the girls. Easter egg hunts, anticipation of the bunny's arrival...so much joy.

So much love, so many hugs.

I hope you had a good one, friends.

Easter Hugs

My Sweets...

I had a most wondrous Valentine's Day this year...

We decided to spend the day relaxing at home, spending time with each other. We did get in a trip to the grocery store to stock up on groceries, but other than that it was filled with lots of card making, cuddling, hugs, and kisses.

The Knight bought me beautiful flowers and a nice basket to store my yarn in. I love the basket, although I think it was his way of politely telling me that he is tired of having to step over my yarn and needles whenever he walks into the living room...
Today we are getting snowed in, the perfect opportunity and excuse to stay home, drink hot tea, and knit.

I have lots of projects that I am looking forward to knitting, but I know that the sweetest creations of all are my two beautiful girls and the life I hold inside me.

We can't wait to be a family of four....

My Sweets...

Happy New Year!

2009 was a really tough year for me. In fact, the worst ever.

I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. I'm really looking forward to the new year, and the new life it will bring come May.

For resolutions, I'm committing myself to being more consistent with the girls homeschooling and with my own studies; growing a healthy baby; and doing at least one new thing a week until the baby is born.

Everything that happened to me this year, good and bad, will be part of me forever. But I will no longer drag them around like baggage. And so, its with a smile that I turn my back to 2009 and eagerly welcome 2010.

May it be the best year ever.

Happy New Year!

Christmas...

How was everyone's Holiday?

The girls were so excited Christmas morning, The Mermaid was shaking. The Knight and I decided this year to lower our budget and instead of buying as many toys as possible, buying only a few, carefully chosen, high-quality toys. What a great decision. At first I was worried that the girls might be upset at only having a few toys, but I didn't need to fear; after opening her few toys, The Mermaid looked around and said, "Santa brought us a TON of toys!!"

The rest of the day was spent with family, exchanging thoughtful gifts and laughter...

My Sil and I with our pregnant bellies!

The Guppy

The Mermaid

Family

The happy look on their faces was the best gift for me...

The Mermaid was right....it was the best Christmas ever!

Christmas...

Handmade Christmas: The Guppy's Sweater

Another project that I was working on towards our handmade Christmas was a sweater for The Guppy. I finally finished it this week.

You can find more details on my ravelry page.

If you are a knitter, I'd love to hear what you've been working on!

Handmade Christmas: The Guppy's Sweater

The First Year That The Big Man Didn't Scare Them

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

The First Year That The Big Man Didn't Scare Them

Santa's On Her Side

On Sunday, The Mermaid got frustrated with me because I was "bossing her around."

So she turned to me and said, "Oh yeah, Mommy? Well, I'm going to ask Santa to bring me a shrinking machine, and he's going to bring me one! Then I can shrink you down to tiny sized and you won't be able to boss me around anymore!"

I just laughed. But when she sat down to make her list to Santa, I realized that she was dead serious. Number one on the list: a shrinking machine:

She also apparently wants a mountain and a merry-go-round. This girl dreams big.

This, by the way, is her second list to Santa. Number two on her first list was China, and she didn't mean pretty dishes.

Santa's On Her Side

Is This Year Over Yet?

Our house has been hit with a big stomach bug.

It hit The Knight and The Mermaid first. Just when they started feeling better, it hit me, and I got so ill I landed in the hospital for a day, getting IV's and having the baby monitored. Thankfully, we're fine now, although The Mermaid is still sick. The Guppy is the only one who has escaped this bug.

When we're not getting sick, we're trying to prepare for the holidays. I'm making a lot of gifts this year, and my fingers ache from frantically knitting as fast as I can.

I've also made some homemade peppermint sugar scrub, an idea I got from Melissa over at Chasing Cheerios:

Next time I will add a little bit more sugar....

So, in general, I've been healing, listening to Christmas music, and enjoying the little life inside of me.

Is This Year Over Yet?

The Best Christmas Ever!

Saturday afternoon The Knight pulled out our Christmas decorations and we got to work. Usually we leave these things for the last minute, so this is a record for us.

We had two perfect little helpers....

I was surprised at how helpful they were, and oh the excitement that shone in their eyes!

Afterwards, while we sat and enjoyed the peaceful lights of the tree, I crept around it with my camera and took pictures of my favorite parts:

An angel, to remember those who are not with us today...

A reminder of how many days I have left to prepare!

The garland that The Mermaid finger knit just for our tree....

A pretty flower...

A snowman that isn't afraid of the sun....

And family, with enough space for one more.

Afterwards, The Mermaid whispered to me softly Mommy, this is going to be the best Christmas ever!

I hugged my pregnant belly tight, couldn't agree more.

What are some of your treasured holiday decorations and/or ornaments? I'd love to see pictures!

The Best Christmas Ever!

Hand Print Christmas Trees

My patience as a mom has been wearing a little thin lately. So, I figured some good quality craft time was in order, and yesterday the girls made hand print Christmas trees:

They traced their hands on green construction paper, cut them out, and created a tree out of them to decorate. The Mermaid loves any chance to use scissors, and the Guppy loves to use glue!

We hung their creations up in the window next to the hand print Rudolph that they made last week.

possible upcoming crafts:

Beaded Christmas tree ornaments

Salt dough Christmas tree ornaments

Easy to make Christmas tree ornament

What crafts have you been doing lately with your children?

Hand Print Christmas Trees

Sharing Inspiration

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving?

I love the holidays because I love spending time with family and enjoying great food...

Other than that, I've been spending my time getting the house back together. It' now about 90% clean, yay!

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Yesterday I had an appointment with my midwife, and the baby's heartbeat was so strong and beautiful. I'm starting to finally relax and can't wait until I can feel the baby move!

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I've also been busy searching for ideas for Christmas gifts. I am really feeling the urge to go handmade this year, but with the limited amount of time I have left, I'm going to focus on handmade gifts for the girls. My biggest inspiration for my projects have come from Melissa over at Chasing Cheerios. Her creativity and her ideas to incorporate crafts into schooling her children is truly amazing...and her projects leave me drooling on the keyboard. So far, I am thinking that I will try to complete the following projects for the girls:

Flower Button Board

On The Go Dollhouse

Playsilks (I've already ordered the silks and now I'm just waiting for them to come in so I can dye them).

Tell Me A Story Blocks

I'm looking for other ideas, too. If you are making handmade Christmas gifts this year, for young or old, I would LOVE to hear your ideas!

Sharing Inspiration

My Mother's Hand Me Downs

I've written about my mother before and what a great person she is. But I felt the need to tell her personally how I feel.

Dear Mom,


You gave many things to me, but the ones that stick out in my mind is: my looks; my stubbornness; my passion; my ability to stick to my instincts and decisions, even while being questioned by others; my love of horses; my sense of fun and adventure; and my sense of humour.


Most importantly, you have given me so many memories that I can cherish. Some of them of just "snatches of love", bits and pieces that I remember from every day life: like the feel of your hands in my hair when you plaited it; the way you woke me up in the morning; the way you tucked me in at night, and the way your perfume would linger in the air long after you kissed me goodnight and closed the door.

I also have very specific memories of you that I cherish. Here are just a few of my favorites:


When I was in my first horse show and my pony, Romeo, bucked me off 30 seconds after I entered the ring. I remember that of all the people that rushed into the ring, you were the first one there. I also remember how angry you were at Romeo. And mostly, I remember your gentle words and touch, encouraging me to get "back in the saddle", which I did (although on a different pony. It was a long time before you would trust Romeo again).


When I would write my short stories, and you would love them, no matter how ridiculous they were. You encouraged me to enter that short story contest, and comforted me when I didn't win (they obviously didn't know a good sci fi story when they saw one!).


When I would come home from school crying because I was made fun of, or didn't make the softball team, you would just wrap your arms around me and let me cry. Then you would convince me how stupid they were.


Later, when I was older and on a bigger horse and entered jumping competitions, I would get mad that you couldn't watch me jump. You would encourage me and cheer for me, but you could never watch the jumping classes. Now that I'm a mom, and I've seen what happens to kids who fall off and get trampled during the jumping competitions, I totally get it.


When I would overhear you bragging about me to other people, telling them excitedly about my latest accomplishments. Now that I look back, I wonder if you let me "overhear" on purpose. Either way, it did wonders for my self-esteem, so thank you.


You are a strong, beautiful woman, one of my best friends, and the best mother one could ask for. Happy Mother's Day!

My Mother's Hand Me Downs

Pictures From Easter

So excited to decorate!!

The Guppy was concentrating really hard!!

Showing off her work

Note to family: please, no more easter grass in the easter baskets!!

Pictures From Easter