Saturday, December 12, 2009

December Daily

Trish and I are taking a challenge, to take a photo every day in the month of December and creating an album with details, fun embellishments and journaling called December Daily '09. This has been tough! I want each picture to be something festive, but sometimes it's fun to use the mundane.

I have a folder on my desktop called December Daily, and in it I put a photo of the day and label it with the date. Downstairs, I cut chipboard pages and pattern paper, felt and more to cover them, along with embellishments, ribbon, etc - and it's all unassembled at the moment. I might take it to Trishy's house next week if I don't have gift albums to make!!!

Anyway, here are some of the dailies thus far! Enjoy!










Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Christmas Card Shoot

Well, I've been thinking about this year's Christmas Card, and decided to head to Carter's to purchase a pair of Christmas Jammies for Cannon. I fell in love with a pair that read "Santa's Helper" and on the feet were reindeer heads and antlers! Bought them. Boom. I then convinced Flannery to put on her Christmas Jammies from last year, which she no longer wears (they give her a wedgie)...got both kids showered/bathed, Chris built a fire and we posed the chair under the mantle. YES! The perfect shoot for an adorable Christmas card. Last year, we used our Heritage Day picture, but this year's Heritage Day picture was crappy. Thus...














Sunday, November 8, 2009

November...

The eating thing is going so well, I can't believe it. I have decided for 2 weeks, however, to eliminate gluten, to see if my rashes clear up. I itch on my joints and also the backs of my knees, inside of my arms, thighs...anyway, it's dry and itchy and keeps me awake at night. We're not sure if it's still because of the algae bloom in Seaside...it affected the water quality...it STUNK from the tap and we bought bottled water for 3 months. It was also when my hands strted getting really bad.

My hands itch almost constantly and they crack and ache. I usually have many fingers bandaged with neosporin and to do laundry or craft, I wear vinyl gloves. Nothing seems to help relieve it. So...for mom...I will give up gluten for 2 weeks and see if there is any relief anywhere on my body. I have been gluten free for 2 days so far.

I am missing the morning oats and flax seed - Chris says that in the USA, oats are not celiac safe, but in Europe, they are safe. I'm going to research that further. I like my oats! So, I have walnuts and blueberries for breakfast, veggie soups for lunch and dinner...tonight I made chicken breast cooked in diced tomatoes and oregano over brown rice pasta (Chris' gluten free stash). Not too shabby...just a bit chewy.

I've made 2 sales on Etsy (www.griefenthusiast.etsy.com) - It's fun, even if it doesn't rake in the money!

I went and saw This Is It last night. It blew me away. Aside from all the gossip, this man was a genius. He was so talented and he recognized it came from God. His music, his movement, the way he treated his dancers and musicians with grace and humility...he had such a wonderful way about him and to see him in raw form, practicing for the concert of his life, was...breathtakingly beautiful. I want to see it again...I have a whole new respect for his gift.

Today was "stay in jammies and watch football" day...and then, there was a wrestling match...which I of course took pictures of.



And...we've been getting our Christmas on...Boom.




And...Flannery and I have been crafting like CRAZY! Felt, Yarn, Plaster, Diecuts, pictures, mini albums...just one thing after another. Most of our friends and family are getting homemade gifts this year. We can't stop. And, this is one of my favorite books to get crafty with:

And, in the spirit of Elsie Flannigan...here's some eyecandy from Etsy...(not mine, don't get excited!)









Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Crafter gets CRAFTY Online!

I have a STORE online!!! Trish has had a store for a while now on Etsy.com, the site where only handmade items are to be sold. I finally got one too and made my first sale a couple days ago! Yay!







Check it out HERE.

I am spending time every day now actually CREATING! It's so fun! And gee, maybe I can actually sell something, unlike the bazaars that don't make a dime. Not that I won't do a bazaar again...I am such a sucker for those.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Autumn has Arrived!

It is wonderfully stormy here today. The wind is roaring through the trees, sending loose leaves and pine needles spitting angrily throughout the air. Every once in awhile I hear a loud boom...either a little thunder, or my roof is buckling under the gusts. The ocean is dancing dangerously...and the color is an almost charcoal gray. My favorite look of the ocean so far. The only thing this day lacks is a fire in the fireplace, though with Chris at work, I'd be the only one keeping watch over Cannon's tender hands.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Another Walk

Went for a long walk yesterday afternoon while Sissy was at school and husband was sleeping from coming off a graveyard shift. The wheels squeak so loudly on the stroller as if I've collected a flock of seagulls or a hoard of crickets and shoved them in the diaper bag. It's loud and annoying. Chris decided to take Cannon for a walk through the waves...in the stroller last month. We keep forgetting to WD-40 the wheels. The rust on this beast is hilarious.

While walking through town, I saw this and thought to myself, "Well, it's about time."

Where's the ocean, Cannon?"

This is one of my favorite spots along the walk. It reminds me of the Long Beach trailer that my great grandparents owned. Kelly and I would play outside all day in the little foresty area before heading to the beach to play in the sand. We'd make "food" out of pine needles, rocks and shell pieces. We'd serve the food in Oyster and Clam shells that were littered all over the lot. I remember the entire driveway was Oyster shells. The sound of the ocean was always in the distance.

Cannon hates it when I stop the stroller, but if I hold up the camera and say, "Cheese!" He'll stop his grumpy face and smile and say "cheese" for me.