Holiday Spirit

This Christmas, Yule, whatever we call our winter celebration was one of the best we've had in years ... many years! Maybe the best ever because having your own child makes all the difference in the world at this time of year. Angelo's first few Christmases were punctuated by sadness for me due to circumstances beyond my control from several different angles, but this year in our new home, it was very special. DH and I decided that since we bought each other a house, we would just buy/make for Angelo and Dana. I was so relieved with this decision, not just from a monetary standpoint, but having just moved ALL our stuff (which always seems to be a LOT, if not too much despite all the trips to Good Will and very reduced buying), I just couldn't face trying to find a place for anything else. We just don't need it.

I was pleased with what we got Angelo- all books, puzzles, art supplies, some pirate dress up accessories and one hand made wool felt robot puppet I actually managed to squeeze in with all the craziness. Oh, and a few trains he asked for- the only things he asked for*- because I truly understand obsessions. ;) Since he makes up stories to go with the trains, I consider them all good tools for a creative mind. :) *He excitedly described what Christmas day would be like and included party mix and trail mix, so we had party mix Xmas eve while watching the Grinch and trail mix for breakfast Xmas morning. I put together both from the bulk and natural sections of our new grocery store.

Dana got her super cute and sweet doggie travel bag I made for our super cute and sweet girl and a new bandana. I don't put her in costumes, but she doesn't seem to mind the bandanas, so I do accessorize the pup. :) I will take a picture of the bag and post it at another time.

These pictures are from our awesome back yard snow ball fight/sledding/romping play time and what Angelo wore outside later because his coat was wet and we didn't know where any other coats were for him (it worked out well for my amusement, I think.:)

Stately doggie in the softly falling Xmas snow.

You can still see him smiling through all the layers. :)
Kicking a snow covered ball.
A new train gets to play in the snow.
Really happy pup!!! :)

He had a very warm-y vest of mine underneath and it worked out nicely that the pirate gear was made of wool. My cinched up trench coat fit the bill nicely too. :)

Hope your holiday celebrations were full of warmth and happiness!!! :)

We're Here!!!

About a year ago, DH and I decided we needed to move. We wanted to be in a more "trick-or-treatable" neighborhood for Angelo. We were seeking more of a community and easier access to playmates, sidewalks for doggie walking, etc.

So, in January, we started sorting and boxing, tossing and storing, and repairing (way more than we intended to thanks to the major snow/ice damage, oi!) Once all the repairs were done, we finished the painting and staging, and called in friends to help with the final push. By the end of May, we were able to put the house up on the market.

If you've ever had your house on the market with a toddler and a dog, you know just how *fun* it is getting everything clean and staged when a realtor calls you and wants to show the house in an hour. Yes, we asked for 24 hours notice, but you just don't turn down a showing, especially in the current market. At least we were cleaning the house more regularly. I use the term "we" somewhat loosely, though DH did help when he could. Murphy's Law dictated that most of the last minute showings were when he was working and getting more than the usual volume of phone calls.

We had a few people interested, but nothing came through. We were really discouraged when we only had a couple showings between August and September. We were ready to take the house off the market for the winter after Thanksgiving if we didn't get an offer by then.

But, by the end of October, we did! 10 days later, we'd looked at 27 houses in Pittsburgh. (oh, yeah, remember when I talked about how transient Morgantown's population is and how difficult it makes it to form community? We decided that because we already have so many friends who have roots in Pittsburgh and we already drive there so often, that we would move there instead of across town in Morgantown.) Amongst all those houses we found one that is just what we need and love. Built in 1881, rooms to serve every need and plenty of updates to allow us to focus on being more social and connected rather than on fixing the house. *LOVE*

*Insert much drama with the details of inspections, delays, packing, moving brother to his apartment, etc.*

We closed 5 days ago and are overjoyed with the house, our neighborhood and the proximity to so many friends we've known for so many years. And though there are still boxes everywhere, we even have our Christmas tree up. Angelo is soooo excited! You can see him playing on the deck in the pictures and Dana standing guard. :)

Hope you have very Happy Holidays too!!! :)

I made an apron

I didn't make the deadline to have it submitted to the gallery, but I made this apron, my first one ever, for the Apple Cider theme over at Tie One On. I don't know why the idea of making aprons is so appealing to me, but it is. I've been using this one, but not in a traditional sense and it has been fun. I didn't measure or follow a pattern. It's all rectangles, so with the exception of making the ruffle, it was pretty easy and fun to make.

Holiday Art

This first piece of art was a last minute Halloween crown. I just felt I needed one. Angelo is modeling it here since it's adjustable and he is such a cute model. :) I made more Halloween art, but will post it later, maybe.

This piece, I made a long time ago when the free to print company www.ilovetoinspire.com asked me to do some collages using their materials. I used a quote and background from their site and cut it out in the shape of a house. The quote says "In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy." It surfaced a few days before Thanksgiving and I thought it was pretty appropriate to have it out to go with the theme of the day, especially with the house image.

The set of Christmas houses was for a blog challenge over at Art Chix Studios. I used their mini wooden houses, vintage letters background, Christmas fun images and Christmas post image. The challenge was to use their baroque trim in a holiday art project and the stars and medieval borders worked out nicely for this project. If you like it, pop on over to the Art Chix fan page and comment. It is a contest and I could win a $20 gift certificate for more Art Chix art supplies! Please, feed my addiction! :)

Pre-Thanksgiving Day

These are pictures from our walk this morning. It's the second time we've all ventured out together. It isn't exactly a great work out for me and not much at all for Dana, but Angelo really gets some exercise! And we all get outside and get to walk next to the creek. Today, we even saw a flock of turkeys in the woods! Over the weekend, Dana and I were able to get out for a couple walks and covered twice the area in about half the time, so I got a good work out and Dana a decent one. I may need to get out the roller blades! She's a very fast doggie and is a great trainer! :) I've also done more yoga lately and even taught a private lesson last week. This weekend, I'll be going to the Jill Parker workshop and show in Pittsburgh!!!

I thought I'd share my Thanksgiving menu. It is set up to maximize efficiency since I'll be the only one cooking (I suggested to my husband that he shop today and I cook tomorrow while he plays with Angelo. Really didn't want to deal with those crowds since we have had so much on our mind and waited until today to finalize our plans.) Normally, I avoid the microwave and the last time I bought a frozen pie was last Thanksgiving. Not that I've ever made one from scratch or bought a fresh one either, but it's Thanksgiving. And, of course, it suits my gluten-free, non-goitrogenic vegetarian diet. I won't be eating the pumpkin pie, so I'm taking the easiest way out possible with the frozen version. So, here it is!

Thanksgiving menu:

1. Mashed Potatoes: http://www.mashed-potatoes-recipe.com/healthy-mashed-potatoes-recipe/

FOR THIS MASHED POTATOES RECIPE WE WILL NEED:

1 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon Gold are arguably the best potatoes for making mashed potatoes, Russtes are also good)
5 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salt and Pepper

So we can really call this recipe healthy, we kicked out the cream and replaced it with milk. Cream has more fat which is bad for you (if you eat to much of it of course). It is also nice to hold back on the salt if you want to avoid some of the problems that to much salt brings (like high blood pressure).

Let’s get started – peel the potatoes and cut them into big pieces. Big pieces absorb less water than small potato pieces. More water – watery potatoes with less taste. Cover them with cold water, add salt, and bring them to boil and then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. How do you know potatoes are cooked? They must be soft if you sick a knife or a fork in the fattest potato in the pan.

Done? Now you need to drain the potatoes and then put them back on low heat. This will make all the water evaporate (be carefull not to burn them) and potatoes will taste better – less water – more taste. Heat the milk (don’t add cold milk) and add it together with butter. Also add some salt and pepper. Now all there is left is to use a wire masher and mash the potatoes and this healthy mashed potatoes recipe is finished.

2. Roasted vegetables:

4-5 medium carrots

1 acorn squash

1 butternut squash

1 sugar/pie pumpkin

olive oil

fresh parsley

Salt

Cut up all veggies and parsley, drizzle with olive oil and mix well. Put all on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.

Put in oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

3. Turkey substitute: follow directions on package.

4. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free corn bread: follow directions on package.

5. Sage butter: http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/sage-butter

1 stick {1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage plus whole sage leaves for garnish if desired

In a bowl combine well the butter, the chopped sage, and salt and pepper to taste and chill the sage butter, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.

The sage butter may be made 4 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.

Garnish the sage butter with the sage leaves.

6. Frozen pumpkin pie: follow directions on package.

7. Baked sweet potatoes: poke holes with fork and microwave on high for about 5 minutes, covered. Let sit at least 1 minute.

I hope your Thanksgiving is full of comfort and family warmth!

Random Report

Well, I won't go into all that I've been up to for the last couple weeks, but I thought I'd tell you some of what I did before breakfast today:

1. Let doggie out

2. Got doggie water

3. Got myself water

4. Got Angelo food

5. Built a castle (out of blocks)

6. Repaired a train track (made of wood)

7. Looked for "James" (who is still eluding us)

8. Did some yoga while Angelo climbed on me and asked me to read to him, look for wheels to a train, etc.

9. Read "Go Dog Go" to Angelo

10. Read instructions for Dr. Levine's Ultimate Weight Loss Formula online since I asked they not send me the printed version.

11. Opened said formula to find printed directions.

12. Started coffee.

13.Posted to Blog.

This is a fairly typical morning for me, though lately, you can sadly reduce or eliminate the amount of yoga I do and it's one of many reasons for Dr. Levine making an appearance in my life. (Another is so I can find jeans that fit in _any_ size. My current shape is just not working for that as far as I can tell and I don't want to torture myself trying to find any anymore.) So, I'm glad I got some yoga in today and I think I'm going to try to do some Belly Dance DVD's/ drills/free weights at the gym once Eric gets back from Charleston Friday. Most days, the classes are over in the aerobics room by 6:30. Was killing myself to get to Zumba, but 5:30 when nap goes late and the gym is 20 minutes away with no traffic (and fighting traffic at 5:00 is ridiculous) is so stressful. Does the hour of Zumba make up for the stress getting there and the time it takes out of my evening that is so short anyway? Lately, I guess not. :P Would be nice if it weren't so distracting to exercise here in the morning (or evening for that matter), but such is life with a toddler. I'd also like to figure out a way to work in a tricycle ride/doggie and Mommy walk in when the weather isn't terrible. Now, to make it all happen...

I've started on some projects for the Puppy: a super cute and sweet doggie travel bag for Christmas and a scrapbook because my sister got me a super cute album that goes so well with the super cute paper I got recently. I figure I buy the supplies often enough that I might actually want to complete an album. I've made a complete one for my step daughter years ago, one that was mostly complete for my husband for our 2nd anniversary (we just celebrated our 10th) and a handful of pages for Angelo, the pups and our beach trip we took recently. I'm trying to marry some art techniques and scrap booking because while I enjoy the idea of creating something that celebrates and records the memories of my family, I kind of look at it as another task I have to complete. :( I'm trying to make it more fun and less of a struggle for myself. I'll admit that saying that makes me feel like a bad mom and that I have to get over it.

OK, this is going long. Will post some Halloween art another time. :)

Art Retreat Report

Where do I begin? How about some of the things I made in preparation for the art retreat?

First, I made crayon cupcakes (which I did a whole post on here), which I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years- since I got Collage Unleashed by Traci Bautista. They were easy to make and Angelo helped me by peeling off the wrappers (I had some boxes left over from his birthday party and a few broken ones I’ve collected. Really surprised there weren’t more broken ones) and breaking up some of the crayons. You can give them to your child or use yourself for some interesting coloring fun or use a craft/travel iron (one without holes) to make some really cool backgrounds. For the backgrounds, just melt some crayon cupcake onto the iron and smear around on cardstock or watercolor paper (I like the latter better). You can also melt some regular crayons without the paper onto the iron and do a print or smear around also.

I also tea dyed some silk gauze, cotton cheesecloth and cotton muslin. It helped with some great antiqued collages, including a Halloween one using an image from my collage sheets available on Etsy.

I filled my dye tub with enough water for the fabric to move around in, heated, but did not boil the water, added about 10-11 cheap tea bags, wet, rung and added the fabric and then let everything sit for a couple hours or so. I stirred once or twice, but since I was going for an aged look, was actually looking for a few dark spots.

Then I got to the retreat (I’m skipping over a lot of stuff, like how I was excited to go, but in tears because I’d be away from my babies so long and how I agonized over packing and shipping my supplies. I get separation anxiety with my family and my art supplies.) This is what my room looked like:

I was spoiled all week. I didn’t have to cook or clean, make my own coffee (which was available all day) and someone else (my husband mainly) was providing child and puppy care. And, best of all, I got to spread out my supplies and leave everything and make art as long as I wanted, only being interrupted by food and potty breaks. I didn’t even sleep that much since I was so excited about all the ideas I had. I got to make the shrine for Tara, which I’ve wanted to make for a very very long time. It was labor intensive and sweet and emotionally difficult at the same time. I don’t think I would have been able to do it at home. It took so long to make, I think I would have had to spread it out over months and I might have gotten discouraged. There, I was able to work for hours straight (except for food, potty breaks and getting some experimentation out of my system). Once it was finished, I banged out a bunch of Artist Trading Cards, some small canvases and a cardboard piece. I will post pictures of all that later, but for now, I’ll add some pics of my dyed paper towels (which I hung on the line outside to dry and thought looked like tie dyed cloth diapers). The technique for this is also in Collage Unleashed.

It was a wonderful week. I laughed, I cried and I have been trying to adjust to being back “in the real world”. I also have been refusing to clean up after anyone but myself and occasionally Angelo (and once Dana, but usually I don’t have to do that. She’s such a good girl!) I’ve noticed that after a week of having to do it all [mostly] by himself, my husband is more self motivated in taking care of Angelo and the house. This is excellent, because I definitely plan on running away, um, I mean taking another trip by myself again in the near future.