Snippets of Christmas!

I hope your holidays have been filled with beauty (-:

♥ Merry Christmas! ♥

Happy Holidays to you!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I hope your days are filled with magic and unbelievable joy (-:

xoxo

illness has descended upon us...

First Isabella, then Jason, then Isabella again, then me, and then......Jude.
I must say. he does not like being sick in any capacity. Poor him. Poor me. Poor Jason who has to go to work after hearing Jude wake up crying 10 times during the night.

Oh well. But isn't he just the cutest?

Thank goodness for the vegetable soup Jason made last night. And the divine loaf of ciabatta that he got at the store to accompany the soup. Wthout them, I would probably be in tears right now. I'm one tired Momma, but I am wise. I know this current state of affairs won't last forever.

The weather : grey and rainy

The baby : napping

The apartment : somewhat clean

The laundry : done yesterday thank goodness

The husband : soon to return home

The creativity : almost awake

The throat : immensely sore

The clothes : mismatched, comfy but clean at least

The lunch : eaten - it was delicious

The time : only 1:30 pm but it feels like a lifetime has passed since I first greeted the day

The Christmas spirit : very much alive (-:

^__^

Oh Christmas Tree...Oh Christmas Tree

Yay! We got our Christmas tree on the weekend!

It's the absolutely most beautiful tree ever (-:

Happy holidays!

Jude and the tin cup (-:

spirits dwell here

Gnome spirits, that is..We are so lucky (-:

Isabella spotted this ghostly shape on the wall one morning as we were snuggling in bed, greeting the day.

Luckily, we caught this picture before he went on his way (-: I was quick!

Jude + Gnomey

Jude loves his gnomey. That's what the Basil gnome has come to be known as (-:
Jude smiles at him and kisses him ~

It brings me endless joy to watch him play with toys I have made..

The other pillow was initially given to Jason for his birthday two years ago.

It is much happier now that Jude has arrived, for he quite likes him,
and the tree bear that accompanied the 'soft rock'.

Jude is napping as I scramble to type down a few words here..Christmas music is playing

softly and there is orange~jasmine incence burning. Lovely smell. Lovely sound.

As the days zoom forward towards Christmas, I am warmed by the thoughts of my family,

so far away in Eastern Canada in their cold, snowy, glorious world...and I cannot say

just how joyous I am at the prospect of celebrating with them next year (-:

When I lived there and had a sunflower garden in front of the house, we would leave the

dried, exhausted giant 'Russian sunflower' stalks up and place winter hats upon their heads

to protect them from the snow, and sometimes a scarf..

I try to live in my moments as they come, but the bittersweet emotion of memory is so very

powerful at this time of year. I realize that my own dear children are gathering their own

memories, just as I have done, and I feel the importance of my role as memory-giver.

^__^

happy things (-:

Beautiful tea from Chinatown; I love these teas ~ all wrapped up in a green tea ball,

and gently open into a beautiful flowery scene (-:

Beautiful, peaceful sleeping Jude...

and his cute little toes (-:

Pipo's 'doll birthday' desert platter: clementines, seaweed, blackberries & After Eight chocolates (-:

Isabella's medieval hair (-:

We have been busy this past week:

We celebrated my birthday.

Jason went rockhounding in the desert for three days looking for prehistoric shark's teeth (He found 60!)

We ate chinese dumplings and pastries in Chinatown.

We celebrated Pipo's second birthday this year (-;

Jude took a whole bunch of naps, many of which only lasted 10 minutes.

I finished a bunch of handmade Christmas cards.

Isabella, Jude and I danced to loud music in the living room.

We watched the movie 'Elf'.

Ate dinner at 'Los Cantaros' for Thanksgiving & then baked two pumpkin pies & ate some. Yum.

We went to the zoo with some friends.

Post office. Grocery store. Library.

Isabella has gone on many spy missions around the apartment building, taking notes (-:

Candles and incense and Christmas lights.

Hot chocolate and chai latte on a chilly night out.

Many hours of babywearing.

Many, many, many cups of tea (-:

^__^

Sam loves Jude

monologue

My day went as follows:

6am wake up. baby Jude is also waking beside me. I get up and immediately make lunches for everyone.
Have a shower. Get dressed. Braid Isabella's hair. Kiss Jason and Isabella good-bye and visit with Jude who is wriggling on a blanket on the floor where Jason was hanging out with him. Make a quick breakfast of cereal and hot cocoa and eat it while talking to Jude who happens to be snuggled on the couch beside me. Change Jude's diaper and dress him in cute baby jeans and a purple shirt. Nurse him while checking emails and such. Put him down for a nap. Clean the bunny cage. Make tea and drink it. Carry Jude around when he wakes up. Play, sing and be really silly. Put a cute yellow gingham jacket on Jude and take him onto the patio for a little photo shoot. Hang cloth diapers on the clothesline while I'm out there. Go back inside and nurse him again. Carry him around some more because he's fussy and cries every time I put him down for a second. Change another diaper and nurse him again. Get thrown up on repeatedly. Put on the moby wrap and visit my neighbour for a second before going out for a walk in the cool autumn air. Stroll to Whole Foods and get myself a chai latte. Drink it while walking to the public gardens where I show Jude the chickadees, fountains, and the Japanese garden (my favourite), smell the lovely fallen leaves, enjoy the sunshine on my face and the warm, cozy body of Jude who falls asleep against me. Smile at people who think Jude is adorable. Head back home an hour and a half later. Sweep the floor and tidy up. Nurse Jude. Dump a pile of small toys on the floor and place Jude in the middle on a blanket. Watch him roll over, wriggle and play with his toys. Call my mom and let her listen to Jude's delightful laughter. Snuggle him lots. Change his diaper and nurse him until he falls asleep. Put him down, eat a sandwich, drink tea, scan artwork. Nurse Jude again when he wakes up 15 minutes later. Put him in the baby swing when he falls asleep again. Scan more artwork. Make more tea and sit down to write this blog. Welcome Jason and Isabella home at 4 pm.

I don't know why I write blogs such as this, I suppose it feels good to share about my day, as frantic/disorderly/unproductive as it may seem as I live it. Jason is currently changing Jude's diaper since he has awakened from yet another short nap and I am going to make yet another cup of tea. Pomegranate this time (-:

Oh, did I mention that it's my birthday tomorrow?

My mom sent me a big package which arrived here on Monday and which I am dying to open! Yay!

^__^

in the shop in the shop in the shop

A sweet wintery bird, all cozy and nestled in (-:

She is available for purchase as an art print in my etsy shop!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Wednesday, November 18th, the lovely Irene from Bloesom Kids (a super-awesome design blog) is featuring a
giveaway of my artwork! Three owl prints!

Go there to enter! Woo hoo!

   

^__^

today. this morning.

a beach adventure (-:

Yesterday we went on a lovely family adventure, driving up the California coast until we reached our favourite beach. It has been a long while since we last ventured there and it was so nice to be out and about again. This was Jude's first trip to the beach. Four and a half months old (-:

We found a cozy little spot near the lush, succulent-covered cliff and laid down our picnic blanket, sweaters, and snacks. Jason and Isabella immediately trecked off to explore while Jude and I stayed back. We played, I nursed him and then he peacefully went off to sleep. I bundled him in my sweater and Jason's jacket and laid him down to sleep in the sun and wind. Naps in wild places are lovely indeed (-: Sand dune jumping, writing in the sand, munching on roasted seaweed, sesame snaps, granola, apples and bananas, Exploring tidepools, collecting abalone shells, climbing rocky cliffs, running in the sand; These too are quite lovely (-:

^__^

healing is needed

The past three days have been somewhat of an interesting ride..Jude has definitely been going through something. He has been irritable, inconsolable, miserable and all-around grouchy. On Friday he refused to nap the entire day, which made the grouchiness that much worse, and to top it off, I am trying to rest my wrists so they will heal, but it is near impossible when Jason isn't around, which is five days a week. I had a near breakdown that day,, feeling so overwhelmed and exhasuted (did I mention that Jude has been waking up 6 times a night??) for the past week as well..It is so much better when Isabella and Jason are here. All of this home-life chaos has gotten me contemplating the beauty - and necessity - of community. I miss being near friends and family, of sharing simple conversation, tea, walks out and about, of getting some help when I really really need it.
Now, I don't want this to sound like a sad and miserable poor-me post because it really is not. Only slightly. While things sometimes seem rather too much and I feel hopeless concerning a path to change them, in the end I usually figure something out. The ideas come softly and simply and remind me that it is never necessary to get all excited about anything, That eventually peace is restored.
Jude is napping this moment beside me on a soft blanket pallet I have laid out for him. Jason is spraying cloth diapers on the patio while Isabella keeps him company while writing imaginative stories at the same time.
Upon Jude's waking, we will scoot out to find the most perfect stroller. It is true that I have never been a fan of strollers, preferring to carry my sweet bairn, But Jude is just too big! I cannot heal my arms, wrists and hands if I do not give them a break. Carrying him in the Moby wrap for two hours when I walk to retrieve Isabella after school is a killer on my shoulders, which I am sure has contributed to the tendonitis in my wrist and hand. Darn it all.
Oh well. It is what it is. I will get a stroller and give myself some much-needed rest and healing.
~ deep breath ~ sigh ~ second deep breath.....~

(-:

Update: 10 minute nap #3.
no root beer float )-:
I guess I'll try later on.

root beer float

It is now 2:10 pm and only recently did I have the chance to make a simple lunch, Jude having gone on a fussing spree all day today with no respite in the form of nap-time until just now. 6am to 2pm. 8 hours of insanity, of constant baby carrying, of distractions, songs, conforting. Two mini naps happened in there somewhere, to the amount of 10 minutes each. Very unsatisfying. And I am going to go in the kitchen this very moment and fix myself a root beer float. This mama needs something special just for her. Woo.

I have a great big baby

Jude had his four month checkup on Monday of this week, as well as his first immunizations, poor thing.
I am a bit torn concerning the debate between needles or no needles, when to get them, and which ones not to get..But we won't even go there.
He is now, at a mere four months of age, 17.5 pounds! Apparently that is in the 98th percentile for his age. He is a rarity. A big, heavy boy (-: He doesn't look huge or extra pudgey, He is just really large for his age. As in, he looks like a one-year old baby. But he's not (-:
And since he is so big and heavy, and I never really had a chance to carry a small, light baby when he was first born and basically jumped right into a super-duper baby-lifting workout, I have developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists and tendonitis in my left arm. Hard work, this mothering business!
We went to the doctor's yesterday and I was fitted for two wrist splints which I'll be wearing at night for the next while. Fun stuff (-:
I suppose, in creating the right circumstances for my wrists, hands and arms to heal quickly, I will need to do things differently. I will need to get a stroller and give my back a rest. I will need to ask for more help. I will need to slow down a bit,, and be gentle on myself.
Other than the carpal tunnel/tendonitis drama, all is well and beautiful. As I write this, baby Jude is napping peacefully, There is one morning glory flower blooming on our patio vine, Lily-cat is nestled in beside me on the couch, and cloth diapers are blowing gently in the wind on the clothesline. Today after school I will walk down to pick Isabella up from her friend's house. I like our walks home through town. We often pop into a shop or two, chat about her day, act silly..Times are busy lately and walking slows everything down so that there is nothing but moments, taken purposefully.

Which reminds me, I just found a cute random zen quote generator (-: Always good for the soul (-:

Corn husk doll!

Isabella has been wanting to make one of these for years!

Now we just need to find some corn husks..

I think it will be fun (-:

instructions here (-:

Jason and I were just discussing the making of various pioneer arts and crafts, inspired by the on-going

process of creating our braided rag rug..Which, by the way, is now larger than a placemat (Yay!)

It is hard to imagine just how long a project will take until you start, but Jason has been extremely diligent

in getting it done. We cut the strips and sewed them together in a couple days, ironed the edges in
over the course of another few days, and then braided them ~ this part took us about two months!

Jason has been lacing those braids together all weekend and the rug is really starting to take shape!

It is really quite pretty, with sprinkles of red and yellow amidst the more dominant shades of blues, whites and greens.

I can hardly wait to see it finished and beautifying our home (-:

a new life for little gnome..

Whisked off to the other side of the country, to a new home and life..

Have fun little gnome! I'll miss you )-: Be good and never naughty or mischievious!

Good bye! Have fun! xo

Halloween continued...

Don't we look, er, um, colourful?! Halloween night is definitely one of my very favourite nights of the whole entire year. Maybe even my #1 favourite. Jason painted my face first, to look like a Dia De Los Muertos skeleton in case you were wondering, but it took so long that there was no time left! We quickly painted Isabella's cat face ~ much more subtle than last time ~ and then I did a one-minute leafish design on Jason. I was pretty gloomy about missing the opportunity to Really paint Jason. I do rather love doing so. But there is always next year..

Our pumpkins are lovely. Lit up and shining on our kitchen table at this very moment (-:

meow

For Halloween this year, Isabella has chosen to be a spy cat. Not just a regular cat ~ She may look like a regular cat but she is really a spy. Don't be fooled.
Jason and I painted her face yesterday afternoon for her school's Halloween parade, taking turns until she looked just right. We will do the same today in readiment for trick-or-treating. I am excited to paint Jason's face as well (-: We are planning to go out as Dia De Los Muertos candy skulls..Until the big evening event arrives, we will carve our big, beautiful orange pumpkins, Isabella will be helping our friend and neighbour with the making of Halloween cupcakes, baby naps will take place (essential) and of course, face painting  and dressing up will commence (-:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!