Catching up (sort of)

I feel so behind with this blog! Putting unnecessary pressure on myself as usual. Isn't the point of this thing to recognize and enjoy the beautiful things in my daily life? Hmm ...

I have some fun mail and crafts to update, as well as the long-awaited reveal of my big doll-making project. But those will have to wait another day.

I do need to add that in the previous holiday reading post, I cannot believe I forgot to add Christmas in Noisy Village -- a huge favorite of ours! We love the Noisy Village books a lot.

And speaking of previous posts which require addenda, Elisabeth cut her hair again. This time, it was not so easily repairable. Actually, not repairable at all. She cut a huge chunk right out of the front center, almost down to her scalp. I've been trying to do a comb-over to camouflage it, but I really should try to get at least one picture of it in its short glory. The fortunate thing is that her hair grows faster than anyone I know, so in no time she should have some thick, stacked bangs a la Audrey Hepburn. ;) When asked her motivation for cutting her hair a second time? Well, I was nursing James and her hair was bothering her, so she just cut it off. Ah.

Finally for tonight, some pictures. I have been meaning to post these each week, but, well, it hasn't happened. Also, I don't really have a good one from week one. so here are week two and three of Advent; we've been enjoying candlelit dinners together as a family. Elisabeth loves it and rushes to turn off the hideous ceiling lamp each night as we're getting the table set and lighting the candles. It's taken me some time, but I'm finally getting to a place where I believe that there's no point in having nice things (beautiful dishes, candles, etc.) just to save them for some theoretical time that guests might be with us, and we should be using them with the people who matter most to us.

Wishing you many evenings of peach and joy this season.

The long and short of it

Elisabeth cut her own hair yesterday. Her daddy and I have been talking about taking her for a trim before Christmas for a week or so (yes, I'm crafty; no, I'm not a hair-cutter. Just ask my sister about the disaster that ensues when I cut people's hair). Apparently, Elisabeth was really worried that we wouldn't get around to it, so she took matters (and scissors) into her own hands. At first, I didn't think it was very drastic. But by the time the hair lady had gotten it evened out, it's a stunning difference.

So, here's the before:

And the after:

It was really funny, but I hope she doesn't keep doing it! We're a family of hair people. Hair-lovers, and just plain hairy. ;)

PS: I feel like I am weeks behind on all the posts I want/need to add, but I am experiencing a lot of frustration with my dial-up connection, which is limiting me a lot here. Hoping to get high-speed soon...

Breakfast x2

Wednesday was St Lucia Day, and although I'd read a bit to Elisabeth about the Scandinavian tradition, we hadn't really focused on it at all. I'd been planning to make the traditional saffron buns with her on Tuesday, but a friend was in town for just a couple of days, and we ended up visiting with her instead. Actually, the entire St Lucia thing basically slipped my mind until Tuesday night's advent stocking when I looked in the bag and realized that the next morning's gift was a St Lucia crown. I put it out anyway, since it's a great dress-up item if nothing else.

The next morning, I was checking my email, and Elisabeth came into the room, wearing red and white, St Lucia crown on her head, and a bowl of granola for me in hand. She had climbed onto the counter to get the bowl and the granola down, and gotten the milk out of the fridge and poured it herself (she apologized when she brought it to me that cow's milk was all she could find -- James & I are allergic to cow's milk -- so I just ate a couple of bites).

This might not seem too terribly impressive to many of you; I mean, the child is 4 1/2! But she's a cautious firstborn, and this was a first for her. She was beaming with her self-sufficience. Sweet wee angel.

Yesterday, everyone in the family (except me) was sick. So, Elisabeth had breakfast in bed. And just to show that, contrary to popular belief, I am not always a perfect earthmama, here is what my daughter had for breakfast on her sick day:

Yes, that's right. Your eyes are not deceiving you. Ice cream. OK, it's sorbet. Maybe slightly better, but just as refined-sugary. Also pancakes and kiwi. Yum.

first snow

Yesterday was our first "real" snow (other than a few flakes here and there). It's so exciting! We're transitioning to Advent mode and doing some decorating. More tomorrow!

Made by MY Mama

So, after five days on, five days off, I thought I really should blog something today to get back into the habit. (I'm going to say that I was absent for five days because of the holiday weekend.)

My mom cross-stitched these beautiful name "plaques" (I don't know what else to call them) for my wee ones this summer. In fact, she was looking through alphabet patterns to design a community cross-stitch quilt for a co-worker (a tradition at her work for anyone having a first baby), and had these patterns sitting out. When I saw a similar example in this pattern, I asked her if she'd make some for Elisabeth and James, and she said yes. Then she had them beautifully framed.

They're done on linen, and I just love the vintage feel of them. Even the frames have that feel. I just love my mom's work. Her stitches are all so even and careful. The children that were "assigned" to the letters "E" and "J" were not quite right for my children -- I think the "J" was a girl, and the "E" was like a baby or tiny toddler, so she changed the patterns around to make it work. She even added a beagle from one of the other letters to James's (we are beagle owners).

I am sorry I've cropped the photos so severely, but when I first posted this, I was using pseudonyms for my children on this blog as using their real names was still far outside my comfort zone at the time.

WIP : sneak peek

A sneak peek at this year's handmade Christmas card. You'll have to wait until the end of next week to see the finished product! ;)

Apple pie

I took the wee ones to pick apples the first weekend in October. It was a perfect, sunny, beautiful afternoon (and all the photos are still in my film camera -- bad, bad mama!).

Then time escaped us for two weeks, as it seems to do, until we finally set to work making the apple pie. The baby took a nice long nap, and Elisabeth and I had a free afternoon to just work on the pie. I am always amazed by the way children absorb things without needing to have them laboriously explained. It was as though she already knew how to make the pie, even though this was really her first time to be involved in the process. (Pie, is, um, my second favorite thing -- after wool! -- and so I have to strictly limit how often they are made here.)

I thought this was really the perfect pie. It was so beautiful, and tasted so good, and Elisabeth did do so much of the work. I cannot really take too much of the credit for the beauty of the finished product: