Our week

It is impossible to think of the amount of STUFF that we hauled around Central California. Baby stuff to store in my old room (thanks Mom!), gifts to give, gifts received, jam and fruit and bread and cookies. Oh my, oh my. What a lovely time, though. Saw all the grandparents, many of the aunts, uncles and cousins, and generally just enjoyed the change of pace. Steve, that good, good man, got up with Lucy almost every morning so that I could sleep in! Now THAT is a vacation to me!


The train at Hillcrest Christmas Tree Farm in Reedley. Lucy yelled, "No TRAIN, No TRAIN," until we started moving, then, "It have ah wheels!" It was a hit.

The foggy day and the steam engine made it so magical feeling.

A bunch of geeks in English Cracker hats.
Christmas Butt.
The tricycle... God Bless Radio Flyer!

Some images for Christmas

Still haven't got the balance right, but I'm getting there.

Don't know where that odd smudge came from on the left... This was all black! But it's my kind of Christmas photo. I've decided I need to get off my duff and start looking through some photography books.

This is where we are headed soon ... is that not perfect??
Just two happy girls!

I've done it again

My parents always tease me about the "donut story." I'm sure there are more details, but one day when I was probably 8-ish, Mom overheard me telling all the neighbor kids, "Why don't you all come in for donuts!" Mom sharply whispers to me, "Jenny, we don't have donuts!" Unperturbed, I say, "Well, can't we go get some?" So the story of my life goes. Mom always says I'm having people over for donuts. However, now I get to also be Mom in the story... I tell myself, "But Jenny, if you invite people over for sugar cookie decorations, then you actually have to make them!" I just got done with 3 hours of rolling and cutting and baking sugar cookies and gingerbread men, and when you have a countertop about 6 inches lower than it's supposed to be, this equals tired back and exhausted Jenny.

Steve, meanwhile, has been shampooing the carpet in the living room before we put our newly covered couches back into the room! I'm pleased with how they came out, and I'll post pictures when they're back in. They got re-stuffed, too, so they're all springy and stuff. And with Steve's birthday chair, I am on my way to the blue-and-brown that I've been loving. I plan to make some pillows after the holiday (K, can you help me with your mighty brain??) with a rich brown microsuede to match the brown chair and complement the blue. Then my sister, wonder that she is, is making a quilt! This is the only picture I'm posting because I can't get off my butt to take any others tonight.

Christmas a la Sew, Mama, Sew!

Sew, Mama, Sew has become a favorite new spot for me to read, especially after their 30 days of new tutorials and handmade gift ideas. It was like someone setting a whole bowl of cake batter in front of my face! Oh yes. They recently initiated a meme, and I'm going to play.

• Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?
• If we're talking handmade, I love to give crocheted washcloths with other bath-related items--especially for babies. I also make baby sweaters, and they are the most fun to give! I made 4 little red sweaters for my 4 Earle nieces, and we're going to cross our fingers to get pictures of the girls this Christmas.
  

• If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making? (Post photos if you have some!)
• I made slippers for my Wall nieces, and they turned out so cute! They LOVE pink and blue, respectively.
  
• 

• Do you have any good stories about handcrafted gifts you’ve given or received?
• My dear friend Kristen heard me say I was trying (and failing) to make an apron from a man's shirt (wish I could find the link for that... I forget whose idea it was, so sorry for not giving credit!). For my birthday she made me an uber cute pink one! I should post a picture sometime.
  

• Do you have any great gift compilation ideas (a grouping of gifts just perfect for certain recipients?)
• Crocheted kitchen towels, washcloths, placemats, and trivets.
  

• Name one (NO, THREE!) thing(s) on your personal wish list (Yay for Amazon!).
• Airpot for coffee... I love having people in my home, and coffee is essential to a cozy gathering.
  
• 
• I love tips and tricks for making cooking/sewing/organizing/LIFE easier and more creative!
• The thing I miss the most about singing in a college choir is that more simple, beautiful blend, and doing collections of beautiful songs instead of just major works. Concordia is one of the most gorgeous choirs out there, and to have Christmas music from them would just give me goosebumps!
  
• 

• Do you make and sell things that would make fantastic gifts? (Link)
• I am just starting to make baby girl sweaters to sell. Here are examples, and I would love to do custom orders!
• 

Now THAT's more like it

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles (ha ha, now you have Fiddler on the Roof in your head!), behold, the desert drinks!
Let's see if I survive a day of rain with a toddler!

A Yule-B-Cue

We're bbq-ing kebobs and eating outdoors. To quote Peter Sagal from "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," "This is the time of year when you folks go from being miserable to being smug." Oh yes, indeed.

So begins Christmas

Is it just me, or is this NOT what a Christmas forecast should look like?

But hark! In the yonder distance, a chance of rain! Hooray! Pray for rain!


In other news, this is sad, sad, sad. Beaten by my husband, who no longer cares about Fantasy Football...

And finally...
If you don't know who this is, you can ignore this. If you do know who this is, you know what this means!

Off to make apple crisp for my sis-in-law for post-Thanksgiving. She was one of the hard-working souls who give up holidays to keep us safe. Thanks, Jen!

A lovely day

A few shots from our day...

Lucy having a pre-festivities tea party

Grammie's pretty table

We felt very fancy serving a cheese board.
My sweet things.

Lucy testing out what appears to be playground equipment.

Cozy at home

We made it to Selma in record time yesterday... amazing at this time of year. I woke up this morning and went right off to the grocery store with Mom. We've been cooking on and off ever since. Chopping veggies, pulling bread for stuffing, doing any prep work we can. I made pumpkin pie (Steve loves it), and a lemon tart. Then I realized I forgot to bake the tart crust first, so I made another one. Yeesh! I will take pictures of them tomorrow, because they are so pretty.

Tomorrow we will have my parents, our little family, my brother, my grandfather and his wife, and an obscure aunt and her son. I haven't seen the aunt in years, and I'm not sure I've ever met her 60-year-old son. Apparently they are a bit quirky, but we discovered they generally don't do much for Thanksgiving, and were really excited to be invited. The son was going to have a frozen turkey T.V. dinner. That breaks my heart to think of, and it delights me to think I've been cooking all day to make people happy. I love to love people with cooking. I get to do this all again next week because Steve's sister is working this whole weekend, and I decided she needs a proper turkey dinner with family, even if it is a bit late.

Lucy woke up last night in the middle of the night and asked for a midnight snack. We did yogurt in the semi-darkness. I'm wondering if she's remembering Thanksgiving last year... =) I'm such a wuss about getting up in the middle of the night now! So it is off to bed with me.

I love my job!

This is Lucy and I this morning. I was having a slow start this morning, so I decided to go out in the back and sit at our patio table. How is it that just moving locations can inspire you? I am sitting here with my coffee and Lucy and I are chowing (her words!) on Cheerios. Reminds me of college when I used to bring a Dr. Pepper and a bag of Cheerios to Acts.

Yes, folks, here's me in the morning.

I finished another shopping bag last night, and the picture of the little red sweaters are coming soon. I started the last of the four sweaters (hopefully... this is assuming they all fit!) last night, and I hope, hope, hope to blaze through it. I have a car ride coming up next week, so hopefully I will get lots of crocheting done and then I can start my kitchen rug. Or maybe I'll just try to get rid of some of my stash, which is getting a little unwieldy.

My brother, while a well-trained supporter of all things Jenny, couldn't hide the tiny twitch in the corner of his mouth that said, "Why in the world do you care what your shopping bags look like??" Luckily he knows the answer, even if he doesn't understand it. Because I fall into the class of people (not just women, and not all women), that needs certain things to be pretty. Not necessarily expensive, but pretty. It is one of those things in my soul that needs satisfying, and I am grateful to have the means to answer that call. Well, only 1 minute remaining on my battery... must publish before I lose it!

More craftiness

This used to have the Stater Brothers logo on it... now it's cute. =)

Marvels of modern parenting

We are in week 3 of nap issues. We are generally doing the "cry it out method," which actually does work for Lucy, but she's still got some residual stuff going on. She climbed out of the crib for the 2nd time today. I am disciplining her for that, as it is not safe and she needs to know that bedtime and naptime are the law. She could see me peeking in the door, even at the bottom, and it aggravated her, so I got out the iSight (luckily we still have a separate one!), plugged it in and shoved it into the room. I sat out in the hall with my computer and watched her so I could take care of it if she climbed out. It was like observing an animal in her own habitat. Poor baby nearly fell asleep slumped over the railing.

The magic slippers

I have finished 3 of 4 red sweaters for the Earle-girl cousins for Christmas pictures. I'll make a matching scarf for Tanner, and we'll attempt a picture. Heavy emphasis on "attempt. =) I'm also in the middle of making slippers for the my sisters' girls. A heavenly thing to hit on a pattern that is so simple and fast, and yet makes something that people will really treasure.

I was thinking as I am working on these slippers that I learned to do this just a little too late. There are several people in my family that used to knit and crochet that are gone now, and oh how I wish that I could connect with them on these things now. My uncle used to make little toys and balls and things, and a special aunt on the other side of the family made the slippers and blankets. I wish I could just pour a cup of coffee and sit and work with them. There is something so wholesome about the idea of them. I have decided that I will be satisfied with honoring them and thinking of them and keeping their memories alive as I work. And I have an immense joy in connecting with my mom and with my mother-in-law over yarn.

The Living Desert

Yesterday we went with Mimi and Papa to the Living Desert in Palm Desert. Gorgeous weather, wonderful day, and just loads of fun. Lucy even got adventurous! She had a grand time.

Brushing the goats. Mmmmmmmmeeeeeeh!
My favorite kind of snake!
Ferferfly and her lovely assistant.

My awesome sister!

Birthday wishes to my best friend and sister! I love and respect her so much, and I'm so proud of the wonderful life she has built for her family. We had so many rough days as kids--we weren't always the best of friends growing up--but now we are super tight and call or ichat every day. She is one of the most creative, inventive people I know, she is fiercely loyal, intelligent and fun. So here's to Sari! (Sair-ee, phonetically.)

Christmas 1977


High school... I think this was when we became friends. (Like my socks with my flats??)
My matron of honor. Doesn't she look so pretty??

Smorgasbord

Well, I'm sick. Blech. Started last night with just weary body, feeling like I just had to sit down. Had a horrid sleep with resultant achy body. By mid-afternoon today, the nose-faucet turned on. Ah well. Steve is home today, which I'm so grateful for. Tomorrow, Lucy gets to watch lots of television!

Had my craft boutique this weekend, and I was delighted that one of my sweaters sold! The remainder will go to sister-in-law Amy, who is auctioning some items for a family who is dealing with leukemia (the dad). I just started the sweaters for Lucy and 3 of her girl cousins, and I'm laughing at the mistakes that my fuzzy sick brain caused. Luckily I think they are not irrevocable.

Started some Christmas shopping, and I'm delighted to be buying 4 gifts from the same website, saving a ton on shipping. Hooray! Figured out inexpensive gifts for all the nieces and nephews. Ah, that is lovely. Very excited about a couple of my ideas this year. If you have good ideas, especially for fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law, do share!

Have a good, kleenex-free week, all.

My first Halloween Mom Outing

Last year was fun and games... put the baby in a suit, off to a party. This year, once we actually go the kid IN the suit (took some finessing... and some Thomas the Train), she had a grand time. I couldn't believe I was actually taking my kid trick-or-treating, and it was just a blast. We went with our neighbors. Her husband is a cop and has to work Halloween, so it was a nice joining of the forces. When I was little, we always went as a group through the neighborhood, and I have the best memories of that. After our few stops in the neighborhood to the houses we knew, we went "visiting" to the Royal Geringers' house and enjoyed their company while the kids enjoyed (who else but...) Thomas the Train.

Too much talking, not enough pictures. Here you go:


This is 3-year-old Olivia from across the street. Or "Ole" as we like to call her. =)
The ghost of Lucy the Monkey...

The wares themselves

Tell me what you think of the prices.. too high or low? Don't be nice, be honest.

Set of blocks and ball (with a little bell in the middle!) - $20In pink... $20

Cream and roses sweater - aprox. 6 mos. - $35
Taffy pink sweater, approx 6 mos. - $35

Fluffy duckling sweater - aprox 3 mos. $35

Selling my wares

So this weekend is the time when we find out if people really want to buy my stuff. I'm selling 3 sweaters and two sets of balls and blocks. I'd hoped to finish a few more things, but ran out of steam with the Seattle trip... plus I made a bunch of stuff for my sister and nieces while I was up there, trying to get rid of excess yarn (trouble was--Sair bought me NEW yarn!).

Here are the details of the boutique, and I would absolutely love it if you locals stopped by. I will only be there on Saturday from 2-4, but my stuff will be at Paula Carrigan's table (see here for a preview of her stuff).

Ashes, Ashes, we all come Home

I wish I could adequately describe our wonderful trip. It was beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Sooo wonderful to see my Northern family.Lucy loves her cousins, and did great on all flights. The reason I'm not saying more is that we came home to a yard coated in ash-grime from the fires over 90 degree weather, and a falling-apart Lucy (clingy/called out of church/ bad nap / worse bedtime / first climbing out of crib incident). But we also came back to my wonderful brother and wonderful friends, and a home that I love.

Pictures here...

Off we go!!

Finally, after 2 years of my sister living in Washington, we get to go and see them! I'm just dying to go see where they live!

We'll see this...

This... (Oh, yeah!)

and THIS! That's my idea of an awesome vacation!