A barrel of monkeys
Sugarwings
What is more fun than a Kindergarten music program?
Going to a double header and having a First Grade music program right after!
Sugarwings
Sugar and Spice
Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings
As I sat through endless episodes of The Dukes of Hazard, stepped on Hot Wheels cars left everywhere, or listened to fart jokes, I used to wonder how I'd survive raising Boys. That is Boys with a captial B. They were as rough and tumble, as wild and crazy, as little Boys can be. It was a rolicking, good time, and while they didn't always have the same interests as I did, we found lots of fun together.
And now they are two grown men that I'm proud to call family.
Then, along came two grand daughters! Who are every bit as rough and
tumble, wild, and crazy as their dad.
Now, we watch My Little Pony or Ariel, and I step on doll parts, and still listen to fart jokes. But from small people dressed as fairies this time.
Yep, I know, I'm pretty lucky. It's been good.
ps- Anne has asked me to tell you about Magnolia Pearl's $2,000 giveaway. Woo Hoo, that is a GOOD one, huh? Check it out at Fiona and Twig.
Hunting for signs of the Big Giant Cat
cottage, Sugarwings
My son, Ryan, mentioned, oh- by the way, I saw that giant cat a couple weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago?? And he doesn't tell me right away? Dogs, cats, chickens, and KIDS have wandered around in danger?
He said at first he thought it was Twinkle's boyfriend, the neighbor's tall, tan, standard poodle. Then realized it walked different than a dog and took another look realizing it was a huge cat. The trappers had told us it might come back and that we should call them back if we saw signs.
I wanted to be sure, since it was NOT cheap to have them out to set traps last fall. We spent a few hundred dollars on catching oppossums, but no cat.
So, on a snowy day, Sugarwings and I bundled up to go hunting. We thought we might see footprints in the snow.
Our first step was to climb up high and look out over the valley and down the trail to make sure it wasn't waiting for us. We wanted to see footprints, not the cat itself! Since there were no leaves, and the trail was quite wide, we could see all the way to the highway. We didn't cross the creek to go deeper into the woods, we stayed on the big, open trail.
She carried a big stick and we made lots of noise. The cat seems to only be seen around dusk, so we figured mid day was a good time to look.
She decided that she would be a Knight in Shining Armour and the Big Giant Cat, or Bobbed Cat, as she calls it, was really a dragon. Her stick was a sword, and we were ready to search out the dragon's liar.
The snow was too spotty to show footprints. We didn't even see any prints from deer, and I know we have dozens of those out there. We did find poo, and I took some photos of it, so we could compare it to pictures of cat scat online. I'm sure you can imagine that part without me showing you the actual pictures.
We also found this tree, used as a scratching post. The marks are about chest high!!
After doing some research, we found this, which fit perfectly with what we saw:
Identify bobcat scat by noting its size, composition and
location. Bobcat scat ranges in size from about 2 to 6 inches in length
and is usually less than an inch in height. It is often but not always
segmented, and looks very similar to the feces of domesticated cats,
except that it is slightly larger. Bobcats tend to leave scat in the
middle of a road or trail or at an intersection or a turn in the trail.
It is believed they do this as a method of marking territory and
communicating with other animals.
Look for other possible signs made by bobcats. Bobcats will
sharpen their claws on trees, and claw marks can often be see in tree
bark. Bobcats will scrape dirt or snow over both their urine and feces.
Claw marks may be seen from this covering, as well as from when they
make scratches in the snow when rubbing their glands over an area to
mark territory.
Hawk of the Week
Sugarwings
At Sugarwing's school, they have a program where each student gets a special day. The kids bring in things they love to fill a display case, and family gets to come to lunch then hear the child talk about why those items mean something to them.
The grandfairy and I made photo boards of family and things she enjoys doing. She took those in for her display box as well as a few fave toys.
After her talk, the teacher said she could call on three friends who could ask questions about what she brought in. Her teacher said to the kids, 'try to ask something other than "where did you get it," because you all always ask the same question.'
So, of course, Sugarwings called on someone and was asked where she got the pink elephant.
I don't know how that teacher can function all day with so much cuteness around her. I was having the best time watching all the serious silliness that goes on in a kindergarten class.
Our Christmas
celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, parties, Sugarwings
It's hard to say goodbye to Christmas this year, but on the other hand, on the 26th, I was itching to take down the tree. I wasn't able to, due to other goings on, but I was ready to see it go. I think its because the lights all went out on the tree the minute the last gift was opened! That was some sort of sign. Plus, I feel like a dark tree is a bit sad. So, into the closet it goes, and I'll deal with the kaput lights next year.
We had an extended Christmas celebration, with all the kids over on the 24th for brunch and gifts, with a hot cocoa and cookie party afterwards.
Dewdrop came over with her parents on Christmas morning to see what Santa left under Grammie's tree while all the rest of the family visited other relatives. I think it was special for the youngest of 7 to have a whole morning of being the center of it all and opening gifts just for her. She was pretty excited, and a joy to watch.
We spent a lazy day, watching our littlest fairy play. My son, Mr. Zen and his Gypsy cooked a great meal for us all. Broiled lobster with seafood pasta.
YUM! The only thing better than having someone cook a meal for you, is if the meal is lobster.
Sugarwings had a sleepover on Christmas night, so Santa could bring some gifts to Grammie's tree for her too. She loves the whole spectacle of Santa, Christmas, and the arrival of gifts, but I think the stories and ambiance are what she appreciates even more than the presents. We decided that if we didn't buy a thing for her, and told her that the Grinch had come and taken everything out from under the tree, she would have been so excited, she would have popped.
That kid lives for fantasies and her imaginary world. She'd love to be plopped into the middle of the Grinch story and wouldn't think twice about not getting a present.
On the other hand, she was in heaven with the magic of everyone's gifts.
Many of the photos I tried to take look like this. She is darting about from one person to the next, excited to see what is under the wrappings. When I'd snap the picture, I'd get a blurry image of Sugarwings racing in to check out the latest, greatest gift her siblings got to open.
Yet, in the middle of all the gifting frenzy, she did the sweetest thing ever. We had 14 people squeezed into this little living room, along with three Christmas trees. So, Aunt Sandy made herself comfortable on the stairs.
When Sandy got a gift, Sugarwings would take it to her and sit to watch while she opened it. And finally, took her by the hand and led her to the center of the room and told her that she was "part of the group" and shouldn't be sitting by herself.
I was so proud of our little angel, who was caring about her great aunt during all of the hullabaloo, and not wanting her to feel left out of all the joy.
And joy there was. Plenty of it!
I think the dogs had a good time too. With so many kids around, there were plenty of crumbs. Twinkle tends to park herself under the highchair at most gatherings.
We kept the meal simple, honey baked ham, French toast and hashbrown casseroles made the night before, sweet corn frozen from last summer's farmer's market with some peas added for color, and scrambled eggs straight from the hen house, with chopped spinach and red peppers to be festive.
Paper plates, plastic forks, and foil pans made it all even easier. There was minimal clean up time, so we could get right to the fun stuff and gather around the tree! For some of us, it was hard to wait for that part.
I'll leave you with some photos of our day and I hope that yours was joyful as well.
The Merriest!
celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Sugarwings
We had the BEST Christmas! This is a little video of our gift from our littlest fairy, Dewdrop. She practiced a dance and gave us a performance. The non-stop giggling you hear is me, she had me laughing through the whole show.
The video is pretty short, because she kept slipping and falling since her tights were slippery on the wood floor. A lot of the video was filled with mooning. Her little bottom was the star of the show. While I think itsy bitsy baby bottoms are adorable, maybe the internet is not the best place for them, so here is the edited version.
Our whole holiday was filled with laughter.
And a few tears too. I got a hand made stocking from our Gypsy and it was filled to the brim with sweet notes from all of the kids. I grinned and cried as I read each one.
We are a sentimental bunch. The calendar that the Hippy Chick and Sugarwings filled with family photos was a hit too.
Sweet is a good word for our
Christmas. Very, very, very sweet.
Breakfast with Santa
celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings
We had the best time at our breakfast with Santa at Lion's Gate Coutnry Club. The club is part of the company my husband works for so we have a membership, but if you know me at all, you will know that we are not a "clubby" sort of family. My Handsome Husband takes a chance every time he invites us in to see how his side of the world operates. We are all kind of arty and down to earth. He travels with the club set.
It was fun to have a reason to get dressed up, and have a fancy place to go, that was still kid friendly. I think its important for the little grand fairies to see both sides and experience some more formal places.
On the drive there, the kids told us how they had been practicing their manners. And there was a lot of talk about Santa and just how old he might be, if he was strong enough to chase down reindeer to catch them, and a few other curious aspects of the jolly old elf's life.
Fin was wondering if Santa lived there at the club, or did he just work there. And if Pop Pop worked there too, did that make him an elf?
Dewdrop didn't get the whole part about asking for presents, but she has been very good, so I'm sure he will bring her some ponies.
Everyone was at their country club best, manners were ideal and we all had fun. The only hitch in the whole day of us pretending that we fit in, was when my husband carried the baby around, accidentally bunching up her dress over his arm, as her little panties slid down, so that she mooned the whole dining room.
Her teensy weensy little baby butt was paraded all across the restaurant.
Aren't their dress up clothes cute? I found the girl's clothes at Salvation Army, for $2 each.
I'm quite happy to let someone else pay 50 bucks for a dress that gets worn for only one occasion, then donate it for me to buy cheap. Plus, my girls will wear them over and over as dress up clothes in their play closet.
I can just picture them all as winter fairies in their velvet and lace.
I wasn't so lucky finding something there for Mr. Fin, but he had this outfit already and looked extra cute. They did all get brand new shoes for the party, but that I don't mind spending on, since that is such a practical thing.
We were very proud of the kiddos, and they all said thank you to the manager and to Santa as they left.
The food was amazing. For Christmas Eve dinner, we are doing brunch instead of a big evening meal because Ryan has to work at 4pm. So, I was inspired by some of the tasty brunchy items on the buffet.
How are the plans for your holiday meals going?
It can be a lot of work, but when we all sit down together to eat, talk and be together, its worth every bit of the trouble of pulling it together. Moms and grammies tend to be overworked during the season with a heavy load of shopping, wrapping, grocery buying and cooking. So, days out like this are especially appreciated by me amidst all the rush and work of putting a holiday together.
I
will be away from my computer till Sat. the 22nd. Sorry, I can't get
new orders from the Boutique or Etsy out in time for Christmas. Next
shipping date is Dec. 27th. Wishing the happiest of holidays to you!!
Christmas trees, cocoa, gingerbread houses, yay!
holiday decor, Sugarwings, Workshops
We are making the most of our holiday season, and have our bedtime hot cocoa in front of the tree when Sugarwings is having a sleepover with us. We make it into a real party, setting out the pretty cups, and fancy napkins. After that, we read a few stories from our collection of Christmas books while enjoying the lights.
Our gingerbread house is progressing too. Every time Sugarwings comes over, we work on it a little bit more.
This year, I actually was able to assemble the house in a decent way, it didn't fall over, I didn't need to use hot glue, it really held up and is even straight.
It gets a LOT of layers over the next few weeks. But Christmas day, it will be a huge, amorphous blob of colorful icings and candies. Then, it gets carried down to the Fairy Berry Trail for the fairies to move into.
Because they need to get a present too, right?
We worked on our gingerbread house while we waited for our guests to arrive. My Utah friend, Molly, was coming to stay with us before she and I attended the Shine workshop, so I decided to have a little dinner party. Beth and her husband, Jeff, joined us, and Sugarwings was using her best manners at a grown up dinner party.
Molly used to be a ballerina and you can tell its still close to her heart. I found a couple of these vintage brooches and made added them to some gifts for her.
Yes, this is a brooch on a brooch. I've been making pins from my bottle brush trees, and added a ballerina to this one for Molly.
We hadn't used the guest room in a while, it needed a good freshening.
And of course some holiday foof.
This banner is from the Romantic White Christmas class that Beth and I did a while back. Its still for sale and has some fun projects, including all the vintage papers scanned for you to download and use.
I've enjoyed unpacking some of the examples I made for the class and using them around the house.
And I enjoyed decorating the guest room a bit for the season too.
Especially since I had helpers with the task.
This guy helped me clean the closet out in the studio. Leave it to a little pup to find the dirt, they make great dust mops. But it looks like I've gone way beyond dust! The closet in the studio is open to the garage. Ugh, might be worth building a barrier of some kind this spring.
I've linked up today with Deb at Common Ground's link party. I'll leave you with some new additions to the Boutique and Etsy.
Happy Thanksgiving!
celebrations, family, flowers, Sugarwings
Did you have a good holiday?
Ours had its missteps here and there, like any family gathering. But for the most part, it was a lovely day.
A 20lb fresh, organic turkey baked with garden herbs and olive oil went into the oven early and I got to hang out and play with the kids. I thawed corn that we froze this summer, baked bread and pies the day before, made mashed potatoes early and plopped them into a crock pot to stay warm, and I was FREE.
Setting the table is part of the fun, so I don't count that as any of the work of getting ready. Plus, I did it pretty simply, like the rest of the day, a few pretties in the center of the table and moving some furniture around to set up a second table, and it was done.
Ten of us went to see a matinee of Wreck it Ralph, which made me cry. That was a cute movie, and so much more than I expected. I don't care for video games, so didn't really want to go, but promised little Finn that I'd take him. I'm glad I did.
Afterwards, we played outside and in the studio. Perfect weather and perfect company. Who cared that we were doing this a day early? Everyone had the day off on Wednesday, and the date itself didn't matter to any of us.
All who came brought side dishes, that only needed warming up once they arrived. That was a delight! Every time I took a lid off a pan to see what was inside it was like a mini surprise party, and each one made me so happy. I love pitch in dinners, its so much tastier to try everyone else's favorites.
And I didn't spend all day in the kitchen.
This year, we tried to start a new tradition. Usually, I coerce everyone to say what they are thankful for before we eat. This year, I decided to do a "blessing tree", so diners could write their thankful thoughts onto a paper leaf and add it to the tree.
That way, those who didn't feel like speaking up could still contemplate their blessings and think about the reason for the day, beyond just snarfing turkey.
Sugarwings, Finn and I went out on the Fairy Berry Trail to gather up some leaves to use as templates.
I put all the kids to work producing enough leaves for the whole group.
Each person got a leaf and a glitter pen to write on it.
I made the mistake of using a base that was too light weight for the tree and it toppled a few times, but no harm, even when it dove into a candle.
If this is going to be a tradition, next year, I'll get a better pot for the tree. Maybe even bring in a living potted tree…
This is Sugarwing's leaf. (before the glitter got so thick you couldn't read it). I think it says it all, don't you?
Fine Fall Days
Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Sugarwings
These buddies had a good time the other day. Dewdrop's parents came over to plant some trees for me, and instead of helping, this kiddo and I took the pups down the Fairy Berry Trail.
We have not used it as much this year as we usually do. Sugarwings and I have spent lots of time out there having tea parties and picnics in previous years, but this summer was so hot, and then we had the wild cat scare (no sign of him again), so the Fairy Berry Trail was avoided.
Dewdrop was thrilled with all the details. At Birdsong last spring, some of the ladies brought pretties to foof up the trail extra fairy-ish for us. And it really does look cute this season! Dewdrop looked around like it was her first time there, and I felt bad that it was all so new to her.
That trail in the woods is such a part of my heart, I didn't even realize this baby was too little to remember playing out there last spring. But it was fun to see it through her eyes again. She had to point out every single fairy to me.
I'll try to make it up to her before the weather gets too cold. But I am still a little worried about the Big Giant Cat that came through this summer. The trappers expect him back this winter and are returning to try to get him.
Maybe Dewdrop and I will wait till the cat is gone…. We might just play in the yard for now!
Sugarwings and I have been working on the yard. Or lack of yard, I guess I mean.
We spread some straw over the bare spots, hoping they would reseed for next summer.
Of course, we had some helpers.
The babies are growing. Albie Brave and Strong can now sit on command. Dorothy Rosebud can run in and out of the doggie door on her mom's coat tails.
