Want To Know What's Been Happening Besides Johnspn Sitings? Here's The Skinny

I have pictures all the way back from Thanksgiving!  I have been meaning to do more blogging.  You know, like always.  But, truth be told, I am in the ho ho hum drums.  No Christmas spirit.  Not quite Scrooge.  I don't begrudge anyone their spirit.  But, Bah Humbug.  I must need fudge -STAT!

So here are some photos from Thanksgiving morning.  Art anyone? 

I made some Shrinky Dink Donut necklaces ala Lil Blue Boo.  (Please, no one remond me that they really don't look like the donuts Ashley made, these were drill free.)

B made a cheetah costume.

Mike found this outside the dining room doors.  He told the girls it was a pig snout.

 

We had a nice Thanksgiving with my sister and her family and well as Cathie P's family.  This is Charley's new gymnastic suit.  Purple is the "it" color in her life.

 B got a new suit too.

(Don't you love that my kids went cute then ate Thanksgiving dinner in the gymnastic suits?)

Here is Jess giving the girls a carpet rectangle ride.

 

So, Mike got tired of the stinky carpet in the girls room.  We all know why it's stinky, right Anna and Shadow? Let me tell you, Target and my 5% off everyday Target debit are my new best friends. We got a pink fluffy rug from there the same day.

 

This is B with a "new" backpack.  It was Charley's from the summer.  B came and asked for a Barbie backpack.  Excuse me?  BARBIE?  Where did she get that idea.  Thank God, I happened to have a pink and purple backpack waiting in the wings.  She was very happy.

 

Johnson ate all my chocolate.

 

Also from Target, a tree for the girl's room.  (See the pink rug?)  Mike put it up Sunday while I was being sickly.  (I still am, just coughing to much to actually sleep.)

 

B made a bunch or ornaments out of clay and painted them.

 

Johnson in his new location!

 

So, we hit Target again Sunday afternoon.  I don;t remember why.  Maybe vitamins?  Oh, and some baskets for my office.  What did we come home with?  A ho ho hat (Charley's words, verbatim) and this ornament tree B had to have - which is an odd hit with both kids.  Charley has carried it around every day, while wearing the ho ho hat.

Johnson landed in the tree that night.

So, while at Target (it's a disease!) Mike convinced me to get another fake tree since his hands get all break-outy when he puts the lights on a real tree.  (Rest assured gentle reader, there will still be live trees in the Brady house.  Humbug, or no Humbug.)  He set it up last night, and this afternoon the kids put ornaments on it.  Does the hat kill you? She wears it all the time.  Charley is almost as into Christmas as B is.  Loves to see Santa, knows about the presents (is related to me and Lee you know) loves the countdown calendar.  B. of course it very into it.  Lots of Christmas shows and St. Nick brought some new Christmas books. 

Then, this evening, inspired by No Time For Flashcards, the girls and I made a couple more glittery ornaments.

 

Finally, I finished a little painting for B's room.  It was inspired by Lil Blue Boo (yes, I spend to much time reading her blog and buying her clothes for the girls).  The painting isn't perfect (Charley actually colored on the first one I started, and on this one too).  I used my Silhouette to cut
"stencils."  I am working on Charley's now.  The dots and paisley's match B's comforter. I will try to get a frame (no, not from Target, maybe a Ribba from Ikea?) and get it up soon.

 

Well, I am up too late.  I will never get better unless I sleep.  But how to sleep if I am coughing and can't breathe?   And last night we had a dousy of a night.  Me not breathing, Charley restless, Shadowing needing out (all before 3am).  Then around three, Charley wet our bed, in the next second, B called out that she had to use the bathroom (and will not use the bathroom in her room, needs the one down the hall).  So Mike goes in to the girl's room while I strip our bed (holding a sleeping Chuck) and steps in Shadow's accident that she had before he let he out.  Total winner last night.  Mike will never let me have pets again!

Goodnight.

Are you Sick of photos of Johnson yet?

Everybody loved a book about dogs right?





Yesterday afternoon, B helped me make a rhinestone tee for her friend's birthday party today. We did a simple M. I wanted to do a cowboy boot, but it was too small. I love the Silhouette!






Last night we went to our town's tree lighting celebration with Grandpa and Pat. I meant to take more pictures..... We actually missed the revelry because we were still at sushi dinner. We missed it last year too for the same reason. Must eat earlier or later. We did have very delicious hot chocolate as well as chestnuts roasting on an open fire. We found dining room lights too. This was one of the milder Christmas walks, so it was a nice evening.









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Where Did We Find Johnson This Morning?

Eating leftover popcorn, checking out the Playmobil catalog.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Johnson Has Arrived!

Did I mention our Elf on the Shelf last year?  I think I did.  Our Elf's name is Johnson and he arrived sometime while we were sleeping.  We read the Elf in the Shelf book last night to remind ourselves of Johnson's job this holiday season.  B also talked about what Johnson would eat and where he would be when she woke up.  B found the elf in front of the TV, sitting in her Halloween goodie bag, eating Skittles.  (yes, we still have candy left.  B only get a treat a day, plus, all the good stuff (read Snickers and Butterfinger and 100 Grands) are gone.  All morning B talked about what Johnson will eat next and he needs to take her Christmas list to Santa (I need to photograph her list.  She drew pictures and spelled out the words herself.).  If the Elf ends up anywhere else amusing (Johnson set the bar high on the first day) I'll be sure to let you know.  Waiting on pins and needles aren't you?

Neat New Website - Craftgawker

I was perusing the time suck that is Pinterest, and my friend In the Yellow House, Jennifer, pinned a cute felt flower from the website Craftgawker.  So, I clicked over and it is a neat photo gallery of crafty ideas.  Click the photo and you are directed to the artist's website.  Check out the site if you are looking for some inspiration. 

And, hopefully, I will treat you to another rendition of What I Am Not Thankful For.  It seems I forgot to not be thankful last year.  This year, I will try not to disappoint. 

Lazy Monday in November

Sunday, we celebrated my nephews 23rd birthday.   So weird, I cannot believe he is so grown.  Anyway, B also had a mate's birthday party to attend.  Here is what she wore:

Can you believe it?  The pose too?  I swear, she never want me to take her photo.  Anyway, she is cute.  These kids, they make  me crazy.  They make me want to leave for Miraval and only come home when I forget why they make me crazy.  But then this morning, when I was running errands, I thought about squeezing them and loving them and wishing they were with me to sing Christmas songs.  (And yes, I am already listening to Christmas music.  I have a love hate relationship with it.  I love the zippiness of it, but like I told Mike, it depresses me at the same time.  Crazy right?  That's my middle name, don't you know.) I think if I got a bit more time to make things, and a little more sleep I would be a good Mom instead of the sub-par one I am right now.  

**(Cue the paragraph where we skipped swimming lessons - bad mom, bad mom.)**

Yesterday morning, we were supposed to go to swimming, but with the lack of sleep and the last couple of nights being late, we skipped it and stayed in our pjs all day (well, the kids did - I showered and dressed).  We ate breakfast, turned on a movie we half-watched, made art, cleaned up.

While Charley slept, I worked in my office/craft room.  What do you think about the word "craft?"  Does it have a good connotation?  You say "craft show" to my husband, and he equates it with an afternoon that will age him 30 years.  Another way to look at it is a craft is something learned, be it knitting, welding or wood-working.  So, segue into B wanting to learn to knit.  She found a set of knitting needles in my craft room and asked if I would teach her.  "OK, let em find some yarn and needles,"  I said.  I found the stuff, and tried to cast on.  HA!  I didn't remember.  It has been at least two years since I have picked up knitting needles.  So, I pulled out my trusty Stitch and Bitch book, with illustrations, and cast on.   I showed B how to knit, but it is hard when your hands and fingers are little. So, we worked together.  This is how far we got before it got boring to her.

 

So, I picked up the yarn and B found some books to occupy herself.

Charley took a nice nap and afterward we played in the toy room.  The only bad thing about a playroom upstairs?  I have to go up with them.   They want to be around me (us).  So, up I went.  We played tea party and cars and dolls.  YEAH!  or not.  I am not much of a player.   I am a puzzle doer, or a book reader, or I do Teach me Toddler on the iPad with Charley (who, by the way, knows her shapes, colors, some letters by site, one or two by sound, and her numbers).  She is working on counting, using three and four repeatedly.  She is also talking a lot more.  Lots of new words.  Some she just says, without a prompt.  It is great.  Some two word statements too.  She says "read book," "ready set," "love you," "thank you," and she said something else this morning, but we were super late, and my mind was elsewhere.  I remember congratulating her on her language (I hate the saying "use your words") but I cannot remember what she said. However, we had school conferences today, and Charley's teachers let me know that she should be able to dress herself - including her shoes.  Whoops.  Funny, I potty trained her, well almost a year ago, and I never even thought that she could be dressing herself. 

Charley's does have excellent fine motor skills.  I love to watch her use a pencil or paint brush.   Charley loves to paint.  

And sometimes she even paints paper instead of herself.  I would have never let B paint herself.  Poor B.  Back when she was little, I know a woman with a child B's age who's kid always had dirty finger nails.  I hated seeing that kid's fingernails.  If B's nails got dirty, it was straight to soak in the bath.  I never wanted her digging in the dirt.  Now?  I still hate dirty fingernails, but kids learn so much by touching and digging and getting dirty.  Charley gets a lot of joy painting her hands and stamping them on the paper.  Same with stamp pads.  These days, my kids have stained hands almost all the time.  Sometimes even though they've had a bath.

B was making little impressions in paper with an embosser, then cutting them out.  I had B's conferences today too.  Turns out, she likes things her way.  HA!  That and she doesn't like to work on things that challenge her.  Great.  Total underachiever coming our way.  Doesn't get that from me or her father. Double HA!  Still, they say she is a good girl.  Polite and everything.  So, I did something right.

Then B wanted to paint with Charley.  Then are playing more and more together.  Not so much toys, but they chase each other around, jump around.  Wear each other out.  And they hug and kiss and worry if the other is crying (unless B made Charley cry).

The nice thing about the art room is the lack of carpet.  Mike and I knew we were not carpet people before we moved in, but it has been beat into our head this last couple of weeks.  I cannot imagine the type of people who have carpet everywhere (they must be so neat without kids and pets).  I was worried about the dogs dragging mud onto the carpet.  That hasn't happened - yet.  But everything else has happened.  It is crazy.  I cannot wait until it is all gone.  It is bad enough it stains, but it also holds smell.  And even if it isn't smelling like cat urine, it still smells like the cleaner, which is almost as bad.  YUCK!

Life in the Brady house is becoming a little more "regular."  You know, just in time for the Holiday revelry.  Charley is spending more and more time in her own bed.  Mike went and bought a mattress, so she will be in a twin bed as opposed to a toddler bed.  Isabel, our cat, had another round of radioactive iodine for her thyroid, so she is also keeping us up all night.  Since she is radioactive, she cannot sleep with us - for another week and a half.  She meows all night long.  Tries to open the door.  Arg!  I am hoping sleep comes to our house soon.  I am an angry mother to begin with, add a lack of sleep and I am a beast.  It would only be worse if I ran out of green tea and chocolate.

Well, this post reads wonky, since I have been writing it for the last 24hrs.  Oh well, you get the jist.   I should go back and edit and move around, but dinner is almost ready.  It is chicken noodle soup.  Perfect for the rainy day we are having.