Make your own snow globes

Olea brought home a snow globe from her last day of school before the break. I, of course, figured that it could and should be accomplished by our family. Esp with two weeks of vacation. I obtained appropriate bottles via facebook shout out and Freecycle. I did a lil internet research about it.

And then for FHE we set to work sculpting our figurines out of sculpy clay. Bless Gary for helping the two younger ones do theirs, Zurich asked for a Reindeer spaceship, I wouldn't have known where to start! Nev quit trying to destroy what I was working on when Gary helped her make a Christmas tree.

We cooked the sculptures and went to bed. This picture is minus two sculptures.

The next evening we put them in their globes.


I had a lot of frustration with mine from the beginning to the end but it ended up working out fine. They were worth it, it was a lot of fun and the kids love them.

Olea also made one for her cousins that were coming the next day.

It turned out cute but after a little bit the tree ended up coming unattached from the base, so it was a floaty tree. I think it was because it was rushed a bit where the other ones weren't. It was still fun and appreciated at least. :) All the other ones we made are holding up great.

Letters from Santa

After being put on bed rest I got an idea from a friend, and since all I was supposed to do was lay around in bed, I had time to do it, thanks to a laptop. :)

I took the opportunity to edit the letters found on this site and tailor them a bit more to my kids and our situation and the things they had accomplished this year. I also made an envelope file with postmark and return signature etc and put them on a border I had from microsoft clip art. I knew that Olea would really be the only one who would appreciate/understand it, but to add to the effect did one for each child. It made for a fun trip to the mailbox.
And Olea was very excited about it.

Getting the mail, Olea realizes what the return address on the envelope says.

Kids opening and reading their letters.
It was fun, adding to the pre-Christmas Eve excitement and reminded the kids what one thing they asked Santa for.

Chase Bank mailings

Dear Chase:
You bug me. I get at least 2 mailings from you in a week. Today I got 4. REALLY?! In one DAY!? I got Two last Saturday and expect to get at least two more before this week is out. You could fill a land fill with all the junk mail I get from you. And for the record, it might not be so annoying if you put fake credit cards in them so I could fil up Nev's little play wallet, but you are cheap and you don't. You just keep sending me crap. Thankfully I have recycling. But seriously stop sending me so much junk mail! How do I make you stop?

Vivid Dreamer

Last night I was up three times after going to bed
Once to clean up puke, Olea coughed so hard she threw up.
Twice to listen to Nev whimper a bit and settle back down
and Thrice to Zurich who had had another dream that I had to talk him through. If I don't he'll keep going and going and wake up his sister, which means I am in for a rougher night...


This happens at least once a week with him. He has very vivid dreams that cause him stress and he usually cries or screams till I go in and calm him down. In order to that the method varies on the dream. Some nights I am amazed at my skills. :)

I have had previous training with these kinds of dreamers... two of my siblings gave me plenty of scares when we shared a room.

Last night I popped out of bed and dashed down the hall to hear him crying, "I want to cut my project." which he kept screaming over and over so after some inquisition he finally clarified, "I need to cut my homework project." so I said to him, "Ok, here are the scissors you cut yours and Olea will do hers." Apparently, I hit the nail on the head and he was quiet and smiling. I asked, "Are you happy now?"
"Yes."
"Ok, good night."

I am starting to realize most of his dreams are about fights with his sisters. Which is funny when it's between him and Nevy, since she is well 20 months and he is three and he'll have dreams about wanting her to play with him and she won't or him wanting her to give him the toy phone and she won't.

It's kinda funny that I have to solve imaginary fights, after solving real ones all day. kinda.

Skiing with kids

Gary took the kids skiing weekend before last. It was Zurich's first real go at it and it sounds like he did great till he got snow between his gloves and coat... then he just wanted Mommy.
Which is why I encouraged Gary to take him. The kid needs some toughening up. Zurich was psyched to go though and so I am so glad Gary was up for it. Last minute Gary called a friend with a little guy who is about 4 to go with them. I think that helped keep things positive. :)


I don't ski, it scares me, I have tried it a few times though for the record. Thing is I don't want my kids to have my same fears, I want them to be able to try things and have the opportunities to do awesome things that are just between them and their dad. Olea has really enjoyed this about skiing and I think it was a little hard for her to accept having her little brother along. However, she is good enough now that she can ski on her own and only needs help with the lift, which Gary figured out with his ingenuity how to get them both taken care of on the lifts at the same time.
After Zurich got snow on his wrists Gary gave him his gauntlet gloves. Why don't they make only those for kids? Why they make any other kind of glove for a kid doesn't make sense to me.

Olea's face looks so smooshed in this picture, Gary confirmed it was, they needed to adjust her goggles. :)

I, of course stayed home with my pregnant self and my little Nevy and was grateful for Gary's new work phone that has a camera on it so he could take pictures.

Knitting again

It's a seasonal thing for me. I like it, but I don't knit as often as I tat.
This year I finished Zurich's hat by putting on Pompoms and ear flaps and made Nevy a new hat.
Aren't they just adorable...

The hats are too I think.

REpurpose junk mail

You know those fake cardboard credit cards you get in the mail? 18 month olds LOVE them. I know this because every 18 month old I have had LOVES to pilfer through my wallet and purse. So keep those fake cards, and fill an old wallet (or one from the Dollar store) and let the child go to town.

It's fabulous motor skill work, taking the cards in and out and can keep the kids occupied for quite a while and since to them it looks important and real they think they are being sneaky while playing with it.

When I put one together for my first child I didn't have any saved up from the junk mail so I just used some old matte board I had and cut them down to the right size and drew words and pictures on them. Olea is now 6 and I unwisely threw them away a month ago... while getting ready to move, and I am going to have to gather again since Nev is in need of more cards for her play wallet.

Print out a wallet size picture of your family or the child too. I use whatever fits basically, old library cards, info cards, business cards. It adds variety and interest.

Nev's favorite thing to do is sneak around my side of the bed and go through my purse or my tatting bag.... So this has saved me having to reorganize my purse OVER AND OVER!

Another reason to Tat (as if I needed one)

Last year I started a doily out of Christmas variegated thread to use under a nativity set I made. I never finished the doily. I was making it up as I went along... It probably would have worked, but at some point, a child who shall remain un-blamed/ un-named smeared the thing with pink chap-stick. I was frustrated and threw it in a laundry bag to wash it... but washed it with a bunch of towels. Fuzzies stuck to it.

I thought it was a bigger deal than it was and I almost threw it out. But was just starting to get use out of my pottery kiln and thought it might be good as a stencil or something. As it worked out the fuzzies weren't a big deal. I ironed the doily and picked off the fuzzies and when I glazed a set of serving plates I used it as a glaze stencil.

Then I clear glazed it and fired it. The worst part about ceramics is waiting for the kiln to cool off enough to open it and touch the finished pieces. Maybe this is just me and my lack of patience or excitement to see finished pieces.

I did a set of three serving plates using the tatting as a stencil. My idea was Christmas serving plates that weren't red and green so they could be pretty and useful all year round.

The blue tatting reminds me of snowflakes on the white plates.
I am thrilled with them and look forward to using tatting in raw clay.

Thanksgiving

At home
small
sweet
delicious

and I didn't have to do much of anything except clear the table and take care of leftovers with Kendra's help.
I love husbands (Mine and Kendra's, I don't have more than one, just for the record) who can cook....

Kendra and I knitted while the kids wandered up and down stairs between the guys watching football and entertaining themselves, reading, playing their own game of football and the like

Pie, a movie, lounging, playing etc.
Kendra and I are about 29 weeks.

Giving Thanks part 3/3

This is part 3 of three parts. Part one can be found here and Part Two Here. Numbers correspond to calendar dates.

18: I am thankful for great friends. It's a rare find to enjoy an entire family as much as the person they are attached to.


19: Not getting a ticket...er make that two. This also includes being thankful that there are law enforcement officers out there that have a brain and aren't all just ego. Every major road in the town was under construction, intersections were messed up and I was LOST and so was my GPS by that point. Gary was trying to navigate, it was dark etc. etc. At a very strange intersection apparently I took the wrong turn lane $85, and after that on an unknown road was going 35, apparently it was 25 but there weren't any signs... another $85 fine. Can I just say how seriously it would have killed my mood for the next month if I had gotten those tickets?! Zurich had been driving me to the point of wacko all day and so when I picked up Gary at 3:30 and the other two kids screaming at seeing their Daddy woke up Zurich, who had just screamed himself to sleep... well I burst into tears. It had been one of those days, and even after Gary drove a good portion of the way my nerves were still not capable of handling a strange drive even for a half an hour.

20: Fun shopping. As a general rule I hate shopping. Today though, it was just Gary and I and we stopped off at a store to get something for our nephew's b-day and found the store was going out of business so things were all marked down. As we wandered around the store we decided to do some Christmas shopping for the kids since we kept seeing things that were on their wish lists. It was a major success and fast. We left with most everything checked off and Gary commented like a giddy child as we drove off with our garbage bag of loot, "That was fun!" I do have to agree.


21: Family lounge time. It's my favorite thing to do with family. Sit around and chat, bellies full, my hands busy and time to just relax and enjoy a good chat.


22: Being a mother. It's the hardest thing I have ever done... and continue to do, but I love it. I've experienced loss of my own to hopefully not take for granted the 3 blessings I have so far.
Even with stuff like this: (this is a negative side of mother hood... don't watch if you aren't prepared)

Because I get to experience stuff like this:


23: Gary's ability to work from home.

24: My talents. I am able to enjoy and accomplish a lot of things because of the talents I have been blessed with.

In case you were wondering:

There is a God.

Giving Thanks 2/3

This is part 2 of three parts. Part one can be found here. Numbers correspond to calendar dates.

11: Today and all other days I am grateful for Veterans and their families. They go through so much and most of us (I do include myself in this, because I don't understand it first hand) are completely oblivious to the sacrifices they make for all the freedoms we enjoy.

12: The kiss fest between Nev, Zurich and I this morning. We were chilling after dropping Olea off at school and Nev leans in to give Zurich a kiss, then it was kisses all around for everyone. Nev's kiss face:

13: A chance to relax. I spent most of the day laying down while Gary and the kids winterized and organized the garage. Gary reminded me, it's time to slow down and remember, I'm pregnant and just can't do everything I usually do. So grateful for a husband who helps me keep it all in perspective.

14: A clean kitchen, by little effort of my own, because it is one thing to be told to relax and another thing for someone to make it possible. I had a meeting tonight and when I came home late to a sparkling kitchen (thanks to Gary) I got a bit emotional, then went upstairs to find him in the middle of the last three batches of laundry all folded.

15: Free Stuff: Zurich's Cold Stone Birthday coupon provided a treat for the kids, a motivation for Zurich to be good at the chiropractor. This can also include today's lunch compliments of Arby's receipt survey, which gave me a free beef n' cheddar sandwich for lunch and the rhodium plating on my wedding set... though technically we paid for the warranty, I think I have made enough use of it by now that the plating is free. :)

16: Laughter. It's often the best choice when trying to decide how to cope or react and it feels so good. I have plenty of opportunities for it it my life, as demonstrated yesterday with the Amish bread and the two youngest.

17: This little boy.

The other day, after I dropped Olea off at school we sat on the couch and chatted, well, I sat and he and his sister wiggle wormed around me for about a half an hour talking about the baby in my belly, what who's names were. For the record: Zurich knows his first, middle and last name in the right order but usually refers to himself as BoBo Fetters. The baby in my belly's name according to Zurich is "Baby Brother" and he's not sure what my name is other than Mommy, but he knows Dad's, Olea's and Genève's first names. The boy can physically push me out of bed and really likes to drink and quickly downs whatever is put in his sippy cup. He loves trains and all other boyish things (cars, helicopters, airplanes, superheros etc). He really likes to paint. He looks like my side of the family. He is repetitive and stubborn. I absolutely fell in love with him when he was about a year old. He likes to talk, watch TV and "cuddle wit you Mommy." He often tells me something is scary. When he is really scared by something he says, "I want to hide" and finds a place to hide.