Beckett and Ted's Excellent Adventure

B's school has a special bear named Ted E. Bear and each child gets to take him home for a week and keep him entertained. Beckett, in his infinite reluctance, didn't want to have anything to do with Ted. No interest whatsoever, in fact there was a smidgoen of anxiety about having to participate in this. But we talked about it, and I suggested that maybe Mr. Fox, dearest Mr. Fox, wouldn't mind the company. B agreed to give it a shot.The boy went crazy for this well loved old bear. He took him all around, aboard ferries, to mini farms, to birthday parties and family dinners. They played photo booth, read Charlotte's web and built lots and lots of simple circuits.There were tears this morning when we brought him back to school. We had taken many photos, and wrote our little chapter in Ted's life story in the class journal and returned him for the next child to take home. Maybe B's reluctance all along was fear of saying goodbye, it's become really tough for him lately. But as sad it was, I was heartened and gratified to see my boy, my standoffish B, throw himself into the care and character of this stuffed animal. Thank, Ted!P.S. B's wonderful teacher, upon seeing his quivering lip, suggested that he start keeping a journal for Mr. Fox and all the adventures that they have together. I love this idea!

Anna's Moomins

We're home sick today, which is one of those horribly guilty pleasures for me. Obviously, I hate that my kids don't feel amazing, but we haven't missed a day of school all year, ZB worked all weekend and I could really use a day to just be. So here we are, keeping warm and mellow. We've been reading some Moomin stories this morning and playing with some very special somethings.
In the midst of all of the holiday hubbub - parties, dinners, visits, which lasted well into January for us this year - Beckett did his best to hide from the revelry (more specifically, the revelers) until a dinner with two of my favorite people. Anna, who had lived with my parents while on exchange\ and her husband Doug (who she fell for while on exchange and has been with ever since. Seriously - like a modern day fairy tale) are bright, funny, but quiet people and B came alive with them. He said later "They were quiet and kinda shy, like me. They just seemed like my kind of people." Agreed, couldn't have put it better myself. It didn't hurt that Anna loves Moomins and knew each of Beckett's favorite stories.The catch? They live in Sweden. Which may as well be Mars to a 5 year old. So after spending as much time as we could with Anna, there was a brutal goodbye. Beckett and I were beside ourselves. But Anna had one last surprise up her sleeve.She made these wonderful Moomin figures, and this great Moominpappa applique/embroidered pouch, and delivered them to B at school. It made his day. And though there were many many more uncharacteristic tears shed, these figures have become a happy way to think about our friend. Thank you Anna, if you're reading this! You changed the whole world with your visit, made it bigger, sweeter, and a lovely place for us shy people!

Whew!

It's been a hard fall off the new year's resolution wagon. Oh how the mighty... yada yada yada. It seems like I have to shoot for the moon just to accomplish the basics. The wedding show votive wraps were awesome, and highly appreciated by my sister and a few brides, but the etsy shop is in limbo (you'll be the first to know when that changes!). Zion was out of town for a week leaving me fully overwhelmed by simple things like walking the dog and brushing 3 sets of teeth. And finally, even though we're still digging out from the holiday toy, food and decoration avalanche, we threw a birthday party for our boy. Whew!

That right there is enough to make me step away from the x-acto and pick up some laundry, dishes, cooking, insert any number of neglected house chores here.

Then came snow... then more snow... then ice... then more ice. Then our power went out. Madness.

But we were safe and together, and lucky enough to flee the blackout zone before the refreeze made the roads too treacherous. We stayed with my parents and I watched Beckett come out of his (sometimes overly) cautious shell and become a sledding master on my own childhood sledding hill with a whole crew of neighborhood kids. Calder delighted at each snowball he threw,and giggled at the snowman's carrot nose. And Zion, because he works from home (or wherever he can plug in) didn't miss any of our adventures. He's a bit of a sledding master himself.

So despite the chaos and upheaval. The 4 of us homeless, snowbound vagabonds had a lovely week. Our power is back, we went to a beautiful wedding last night, and now we're in our pj's watching football. Life is good. And my x-acto is calling...

Happy 5th Birthday, Beckett!

5 is a big one. I'm not as emotional as other years, but just filled with an awe in the person Beckett is. He's fascinating. We had a birthday party for him last weekend with robots, monsters, trucks, mustaches and a few good friends. Snow fell the following morning, and we've been rosy cheeked and frosty ever since. We're expecting more snow tonight and our sleds are waiting. School has been canceled and I'm looking forward to spending the day with my 5 year old. I had an alien changeling baby once upon a time - alert, responsive, flawless skin and huge, bottomless gray eyes. I blinked and he became a clever, sensitive, articulate and aware little boy. I'm so proud and so inspired. Happy Birthday Becks!

Exciting Stuff

In my New Year well wishing, I neglected to mention that I've also been busy on a special project. My sister asked me to do a potentially lucrative favor for her; She's setting up the Woodland Park Zoo's booth at the upcoming Seattle Wedding Show and she's asked me to create some cut paper pieces to display! I know there will be tons of talent, all more professional than me, but I appreciate the chance for a little exposure.In order to make the best of this opportunity, I'll be finally setting up my etsy shop. I'm focusing on cut paper to start - cards and the like, but I'll welcome custom orders. Especially from my readers! So if you've seen anything on this here blog that piqued your interest, send me an email or an etsy convo and we'll see if we can work something out.

Thanks for your interest, and if you'll be at the Wedding Show, be sure to check out the Woodland Park Zoo's booth! They host beautiful weddings, and other corporate and private events, at a variety of unique venues within the park. Jubilate with jaguars or revel with river otters. What could be cooler than that?

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone. I hope the dawn of 2012 finds you cozy and well. This holiday season was drastically different for us, being the first Christmas since moving close to our families. More parties, less travel, new traditions and friends, and the lights and decorations of a whole new neighborhood. I must say it was the loveliest, sweetest Christmas ever. Somehow, despite the proximity to a horde of doting relatives, we had more cozy time, just the 4 of us, than ever before. Absolutely charming.
Our house is filled with such festive details, most of it handmade by the boys, especially Becks, who was my very own Christmas tomten, sneaking around leaving his childlike wonder in every corner of this apartment. There are gnomes and snowflakes, pine cones and boughs, garlands and displays and loads of pipe cleaners. The boys' even had their own tree this year. The only thing missing was the blogging. There have been times when I've neglected my blog because I hadn't made anything worth posting. Lately, though, I've had plenty to post and I just haven't taken the time. I miss the writing, I miss the community of inspiring bloggers and blog readers and I miss having this little piece of something all my own.

Thanks for putting up with me this past, lean year and I promise to be more present in 2012! I suppose this is my resolution. More posts, tutorials, patterns and all the good stuff I had in mind when I started this little blog. Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a beautiful, charming, creative year!

The Fire is so Delightful

Our apartment has a cute little fireplace, a great place to hang stockings and a great mantel to decorate, but it's not super practical for actual fire. For one thing, it'd be way too warm in here, for another it'd be way to tempting for little fingers. Yesterday our advent activity was to make a cozy replica.

The logs are cardboard tubes, colored by an enthusiastic almost 5yo. We tore the edges to make them look more log-y, and because tearing things on purpose is fun. The fire is metallic origami paper and vellum, both in reds and yellows, cut into flame shapes, crumpled a bit and layered. We backed it with christmas lights, but I'm going to get some flameless candles so it'll flicker. It looks fantastic, and not just in the cheesy gag way I'd expected. It really feels cozier in here with it's warm glow. Of all the cookies, gnomes, ornaments and decorations we've made, this was the thing that B was the most giddy over. You could even say it lit a fire under him. Har de har.

Today we'll be making Santa's mustache pops. Like the ones from B's birthday, but with white chocolate and sprinkled with candy cane bits!

A Very Playmobil Christmas

I suppose it was inevitable, but this is the first year that my lifelong love of Playmobil extended into our holiday decorating.B and I had settled in for a cozy night and I thought we'd make some elves or little houses to fill the mantel. I had some glittery snow blanket that I'd been using with the diorama ornaments, and a few bottle brush trees so that became our blank slate.B brainstormed about who and what should live in this snowy woods, he tossed out lots of great ideas, but at the end of the night he was gung ho! for using Playmobil. He's his mother's son, what can I say?I am a little disappointed that there aren't little boy-made bits of brilliance up there, but he's so proud. Isn't that what it's all about? Besides, the rest of our house is teeming with his handiwork. And I may still get my little glittery houses...

Diorama-rama

I've had dioramas on the brain for weeks. Months, maybe. Who doesn't love self contained miniature worlds? As a kid I would get absolutely lost in them and as it turns out my adult self isn't much different. I'm a sucker through and through. Anyway, my sister (who has also had dioramas on the brain - go figure) and I brainstormed on how we could turn our diorama fever into a force of holiday joy spreading good. Here's one of our ideas.The beginnings of it anyway. I'm still up to my elbows in bottle brush trees and deer cake toppers and I have 6 more ornaments painted, glittered and ready for inhabitants. Not to mention the glitter that has bedazzled our entire apartment. And our persons. How do you combat that? I'm a novice, a glitter virgin really, so I have no idea how to contain the outbreak. Any sage advice out there?Now for the how. I got plain, brown craft ball ornaments from Micheal's and cut windows in them with a small hacksaw, or lady-saw as Beckett calls it. The insides were not paper, much to my dismay, but hard dark plastic. It took a few coats to cover it, but it accepted the paint fairly well. I found some pre-made all paper balls online here and here, but I didn't want to wait for shipping, so I made do.

Then I painted the insides and outs. I added metallic pipe cleaners or glitter to the openings, mostly to hide my shoddy saw skills, but also because it makes them look super vintage.I found bottle trees, mini wreaths, mini snowmen, glittery foliage and other bits at Micheal's. I scored some spun cotton mushrooms, those little German birds and I made a huge haul of vintage cake toppers at a wonderful, cluttered hole in the wall called Home Cake. If you're in Seattle, check it out. If not, etsy has all kinds of great deer, mushrooms and elves. The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs set is definitely worth a look!We're in full scale holiday mode around here. The house looks, smells and feels great and our advent calendar (a mischievous gnome who hides each morning with our activity or adventure for the day in his pocket) has filled our days with fun. I just love December.

Little Birds

You know those sweet little painted wood birds that perch on Nutcrackers and wonderful German ornaments? I have a few beat up ones that broke off of thrift store finds, and despite their chipped paint, I adore them. The other night I decided that I needed more. Lots more. To use in ornament making, and for who knows what other uses might pop up. What project wouldn't be improved by bright little wooden birds? So I scoured the internet and came up empty.

Yesterday, Calder and I were killing time while B was in school and we popped in to the Alpenland Delicatessen on Mercer Island for a pastry. It's a great little mom and pop deli with such delicious, tradition Swiss fare, and loads of imported chocolates and mustards etc. This time of year, they also have fantastic ornaments and every year I pick up a few. Never before, though, have they had these! The exact little birds I'd been searching for.I couldn't believe it. Still can't, but I can say I'm a very happy camper. They sold the small ones in little packages of 12 for $3.40. The larger birds were $3.80 for a package of 6. Amazing. Look for these to be showing up in much of my holiday playing this year. I'm sure they'll be showing up all over the house too.Man, it feels good to be blogging. I miss this, and I'm sorry that so many of our Fall adventures and projects went un-posted. It's a rich life, and it's easy to get swept up, especially with the amazing, but calendar filling, involvement with a coop preschool. But I love this, and I'd feel more fulfilled if I gave it more time.