Christmas Past

I had to share this picture of me...circa 1973...apparently I've always been a fan of Christmas.  I remember this day like it was yesterday (wow, that sure sounds like an old person talking).  My sisters decided to dress me up as Santa...they snuck in to my grandmother's bedroom (she lived with us all my life) and "borrowed" her red cardigan sweater.  

Here we are around the same time...I also remember that Snoopy  dog I got that year.  Notice our Christmas tree...my mother was obviously a fan of glitz (in fact she still put that silver tinsel rope on her tree up until a couple of years ago when my sisters and I did an intervention with her about her Christmas decorating).  It was always my job to cover the tree with those tacky silver, static-filled, "icicles".  Inevitably one of our cats would eat an icicle....and we would have to wait for it to "come out the other end".  My mother would remind us every day..."don't pull on the icicle...it will kill the cat"....   Good times.

On another note I made a lovely Christmas-themed blog header but when I tried to upload it I got a nasty message from Blogger (or Picnik....not really sure) saying that I had exceeded my free uploading  space and prompted me to buy more.  Now I can't upload any of my blog headers...has anyone else had this problem?

Weekend highlights

We had a busy weekend of hockey games, household chores and a nice dinner out.

I managed to get a couple shots of my favourite player

#24 

I snapped a photo of this peculiar sign at one arena....not sure what big problems they've had with sunflower seeds but it must have been serious?

On the way home I made Scott stop the car so I could get a picture of this house....I christened it..."The House that Christmas Threw Up On".....or I could just be jealous that I don't have all my outdoor lights up yet.

Up in Here

The wreath finally got put on the barn, it has a burlap bow...rustic, yet festive...it's my new Christmas theme...

A partridge landed on the bush right outside my window...she was looking for a pear tree..but sometimes you have to "settle"

some pics from my pottery sale last weekend

Tea sets...I hate making teapots but I do make a few for this sale...

bunny Christmas ornaments

Notice the stemless wine cups in the middle, left side of the table?  They are new this fall...several of my customers suggested they could be bigger...much bigger.... my customers are obviously winos.

There was hot apple cider...chocolates...and yummy squares that my dear 80 year-old mother-in-law made.  Sometimes I think people just come to my sale for those squares..but that's ok, I don't judge.

Snow Day

We are in the midst of a snowstorm here.  Apparently we will be receiving 10 inches of the lovely stuff by tonight.  School was not cancelled this morning but the students were sent home at noon.  When Isaac got home I suggested we make gingerbread cookies and watch Christmas movies...he proceeded to his bedroom to play "Grand Tourismo" online with some of his buddies (sigh...why did he have to grow up?).  

I'm headed out to my studio (it's the little yellow building you can barely see in the background of this picture) to work on some Christmas orders...maybe I'll play some Christmas music out there.

oops I guess the bbq didn't get put away yet....

So...what's the weather like where you are?

Deep Thoughts....

This morning I was reading this great post by Sarah at Clover Lane.  It made me think about all the things I fretted about when my boys were young...and how what I thought was a big deal at the time eventually turned out to be nothing.


I made a list in my mind of all the things I would do differently if I was that young mom all over again;


1. Do not insist on making everyone believe that you can have a baby one day and go back to your usual routine the next...take some time...you don't have to "do" it all.
2. You don't have to let the baby "cry himself to sleep" he won't be "spoiled" if you rock him every night...in fact at 20 years old that "baby" still has trouble falling asleep.
3.  Don't panic about getting rid of bottles at exactly 1 year of age...and their pacifiers...they won't start school with one.
4.  I could go on and on but you get the idea.....


Now...I wish I could peek ahead 20 years and know all the things I shouldn't be worrying about for the teenage years.  Will they finish their education...be smart with money.....be good husbands...fathers...citizens?  Will they be happy?  The list goes on and on....sometimes being the mother is exhausting.

Happy Monday

I had to share this picture of Calvin modeling his reindeer horns, he is surely the most patient dog in the world.  We had a super busy weekend hosting my annual Christmas sale.  The house was so festive and full of great customers I had my friend who is a photographer snap a few pics of all the festivities so I will try to post a few later in the week.  As for today I'm off to the studio with a big list of orders to fill before Christmas, I'll check back in mid-week.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..and a Birthday thrown in too

I usually make my own fir garland but this year I got lazy and bought some from a local wreath company...it smells so good

still loving those red berries...even though the warmth of the house makes them fall off the branches...then the dog thought he should eat some that were on the floor..then I had to search online to make sure they weren't poisonous...never a dull moment in this house

Chickadees keep landing on this urn and eating the red berries and sumac..then the cat stalks them...it's both decorative AND entertaining

Cameron came home today for his 20th birthday supper.  I feel really old having a 20 year-old son, and his "Decembeard" didn't help matters.

This week...so far

Today I was on a mission...climbing over a deep ditch in my rubber boots (risking my life because it's still hunting season)...with a singular goal;

I had to have these berries...aren't they beautiful?  I see them all the time while we're driving in the car and today I decided I needed them to start my holiday decorating.

In other news...Scott and I (with some help from Isaac) finished putting shingles on one side of the barn (only 3 sides to go) although they might have to wait until Spring.  I'm making a giant balsam fir wreath to go between the windows...more decorating.

I want to have at least some of my outdoor Christmas decorating done before Saturday as it's my annual Christmas Pottery Sale and I need the place to look festive.

The studio is packed with pots ready to be glazed and put back in the kiln for one last firing

I'm trying some new pendants...and the little acorns you see are glazed but not fired yet...I'm hoping they will make nice tree ornaments with some red or teal velvet ribbon for hanging.

Some plates, bowls and a cake stand all ready for glazing

My kiln is firing overnight tonight and I hope to unload everything on Thursday morning which will give just enough time for set-up and pricing.  I have the sale inside our house which means the dog hair has to be vacuumed up and the floors mopped.  It's lots of work but so much fun seeing all my lovely customers on Saturday...and it forces me to get the house clean and decorated.

The rest of the week is busy...it's Cameron's 20th birthday on Thursday and Isaac has two hockey games as well...guess I should be off the computer.

10 on the 10th (November)

Neighbour's horses

Sheep pasture...those sheep have the best view around

Tree swing...with a little bench if you're too little to reach the seat

lane to somewhere...

Barn reno: Before

getting there....

almost....

messy studio in preparation for my Christmas Pottery Sale

finished product...ready for the sale...

Home Sweet Home

Yarn Along November 2011

Today I'm linking up with Ginny for Yarn Along; where you snap a picture of what you're reading...and knitting..two of my favourite things.

I'm knitting more socks, seems like just when I finish a new pair...I notice a hole in one of my old pairs.  It takes a lot of wool socks to get me through a winter of Isaac's hockey games.  

As for the book, I heard it reviewed on CBC radio as "like Eat, Pray, Love...only with sex"...and I was intrigued.  It's quite interesting so far....

Pumpkin-palooza

So I spent part of yesterday turning this (and a few more of his friends);

into this....pumpkin puree..ready for the freezer...

It took me about 2 hours...and I think I have the equivalent of 6 cans of store-bought pumpkin....so lets see at about $2.50 a can..I've saved myself $15.00 for 2 hours of work...(ok I guess I won't quit my day job to become a pumpkin processor).

I was inspired by my mother-in-law who cans, pickles, freezes or dries anything that isn't moving.  She was a child during the great depression and she is probably the most energetic, patient person I know.  I, on the other hand, am neither patient....or particularly energetic...but I do love to eat....pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie (made with eggnog instead of evaporated milk)...yum.

Saturday morning thoughts

I had to snap a picture of my breakfast this morning.  I was sitting at the table with the sun streaming in and a cup of coffee with eggnog instead of cream (so yummy, you should try it), and I had the  most contented feeling.

It may be because Cameron and his girlfriend Emily came home from university for the weekend.  I hadn't seen them for over 3 weeks and last night when I went to bed I had the best sleep.  I think it was because I had my whole family (+ Emily) all snug in their beds and I always sleep better when I know my boys are at home.  It won't last forever because having sons that are 16 and  almost 20 makes me realize that  Scott and I  will soon be empty-nesters.

By Sunday night I'll probably be fretting at the state of the house and longing   for the quiet of only one teenager at home but for now I'm going to enjoy it......right after I pick up the towels that are laying everywhere...and clean off the coffee table....and run the dishwasher through....and go buy more milk.

My mother went to Arizona...and all she left me were two cats...and a sewing machine

So my mother went to Arizona for a yesterday on a vacation.  She had been gone for about 2 hours when it hit me...I needed her to sew Isaac's name bar on his hockey jersey before his game on Friday night.  


I don't like to admit it...but I'm 42 years-old and my mother still hems my jeans for me.  I'm not really a fan of sewing and Mom has a sewing room all set up in her house so usually if I need something fixed I just casually drop it off at her house...and she returns it the next day...easy. 


I'm in charge of getting her mail and feeding her cats for the next couple weeks so I guess I'll have to suck it up and do my own sewing too....gosh I feel like an orphan.  

So far this week....and a shameful confession

Check out this picture of our backyard...the black thing is the composter that I dutifully fill with kitchen scraps...Sunday it snowed...notice the tracks around the composter?

Yeah..well they're bear tracks...apparently while I was relaxing by the fire, enjoying my snow day...a bear was right outside...trying to steal from the composter..yikes

I had to share this picture taken on Scott's desk...notice the muddy cat prints on his drawings? Charlotte likes to relax in the heat of Scott's desk lamp when she comes in from outside...not sure how he is going to explain the muddy cat tracks to a bunch of engineers.

The railing in the hallway is the place that Isaac has chosen to hang his smelly hockey equipment to dry after practice...what would Martha Stewart say?

How did the boys convince me to let them hang a dartboard in the hallway?  Oh I forgot..they put a lovely, decorative piece of cardboard behind it...that looks so much better....

As for my confession...I watch this show...I know..they're dreadful people...please don't judge..