The Halloween post

This is Mr. S's "drunk Pumpkin" He was mainly wanting to see what the light would do to the bottle ;)

Koolaid has so very many uses in our house - tho it's known as a dye - and none of us would ever consider drinking the stuff ;) Makes for great last minute green hair tho ;)

This is unfortunately the only shot I got of Big Miss A. She was a figure skater. She had her hair up in a bun at one point, but when it came down to it she decided to stay home with mama. She's such a shy little gal around people she doesn't know - I think that was a big factor for her.

Ms. S

In character

And finally Mr. S. We were so busy this year (and sick this week unfortunately) - we didn't get to the costumes quite in time. He wanted to be James Bond - (tho why I'm not entirely sure - he's never seen a movie ;) ) We didn't actually have a gun tho, and I'm fairly certain that the tails on the tux are not quite right - He didn't seem to care tho ;)

He's awfully cute tho don't you think?

We have quite the set-up for Halloween. The kids are not able to have any gluten, or dairy. That rules out around 80% of the candy right off the bat. So what we do is they put the candy they can't have outside on the porch and the candy fairy (who just loves candy) trades them for a toy. This year it's going to be money as the candy fairy has been so darned busy lately that she didn't have time to pick out appropriate gifts ;) I don't think they'll mind tho ;) I do let them keep the small amount that is left once we remove the gluten and dairy stuff - not my preference, but they are reaching an age where they aren't so pleased to give it all up. I do pick up a few treats at the hfs too - free of the dyes and artificial flavors. They are happy with this set-up so far. Sometimes I think the magic of it all is much more about the adventure of collecting it and less about the candy. Tho of course the candy is much loved too ;)

My arm is in high demand

as a pillow that is....

All of my kids have loved as babies, toddlers, and then even as children - to sleep with their head on my arm/shoulder :) And while it does eventually grow a little tiresome - mostly due to losing the feeling in my arm ;) I do treasure that time ever so much. I wonder if one day they will look back fondly on their childhood and remember things like that. I hope so.

Apparently the cat is in on this arm thing too - as you can see above- makes it interesting to knit - a bit like lifting weights while knitting ;) You can catch just a glimpse of a WIP too - it's getting close, there will be some knitting showing up here soon. Very soon actually :)

Punkin Moonshines.... among other things

The Halloween mood has finally hit our house - better late than never I say ;)

it was the Punkin Moonshines that did it ;)

This isn't the first time she went in Blue hair as an anime character - she was 7 last time - and the hair was *dyed!* (She's only got the wig in this photo - we'll have to wait to see the full costume)

Last minute punk rocker preparations are in the works.....

And last but not least - the cookies - remember yesterday's creation by Sascha ? Created while I was sleeping?

Today I pulled the bowl out of the fridge, added a jar of peanut butter and 2 eggs, mixed it in the kitchen-aid, and voila! Cookies :) He was quite pleased that *his* recipe turned out so well ;)

sick

I finally ran off to the hotsprings last night in hopes of getting a full night sleep.

Instead of sleeping I found myself hit with some sort of a nasty bug - and a plugged duct to boot.

Hmmmm.

So after a long long night with no tylenol available - or any of my usual flu fighters I threw in the towel at 6:45 am and drove home.

Once home I promptly fell asleep on the couch in somewhat of a comatose state.

The kids had lots of fun while I was asleep......

Sascha made cookies - well dough - it was a little crumbly according to him.

He did actually clean up - bless him :)

I should have snapped a shot of him all covered in flour... but I was still couch bound..

The entire house looks like this....

Book Sharing Monday

"Dreamscape - Short Stories From Young Writers of Canada"

This is a very special book indeed :) It's special because my oldest daughter had a short story published in it :) Page 250 to be exact :)

"This book is the result of a creative writing contest open to young writers aged 12-18 years. "

I'm so darned proud of her - I'm awfully tempted to type her story out right here to share with you all.

Ah shucks here it is :) (It's fiction by the way, and it does have a brief mention of abuse if that will upset anyone)

The Journey

I sit alone in my room. Silence Presses in on me. The fear starts closing in. I know what happens next, but I can't stop it. I am alone, secluded. I watch the door, it's handle motionless, but that doesn't last long. The door begins to open. A sliver of light darts into my room, like a hand reaching towards me, trying to save me. But it never does. And then he's there, tall, dark, powerful. He reaches towards me.... the next part I have spent my whole life trying to forget. This was my childhood... my reality. No one knew except me.

When I was thirteen the opposite sex began grabbing my attention. They interested me more than anything. I watched them; learning them, reading them as if they were books. It wasn't rocket science; there was only one thing they were thinking about. They wanted one thing, and that one thing was always the same. I watched them watch other girls, and realized these simple creatures were watching me.

I slowly felt this burning inside me.... a want. Not like I wanted the shoes in the department store window. I wanted someone else; it was because I didn't feel complete. By age fourteen, I had one. He smelled of cigarette smoke. He smelled of cologne and opportunity... the opportunity to feel completed. My want for a boyfriend changed to a need for completion. My father created that: a hole inside me. I couldn't get rid of it. I went thought my whole life with this burden. There were two main reasons it left. My father died, and with him died a part of me; that part of me I didn't want. And there was Ted. Ted was the opposite of me. He respected himself.... he respected me. He showed me how to respect myself.

Now I am twenty-five. I look over my life so far, and I feel fulfilled. I feel satisfied. I open my curtains every morning, and the sun bathes me in light, that healthy light that finally reached me. As it embraces me, it seems to whisper in my ear; this is the first day of the rest of your life.

Skye - age 14.

I love to read my girl's writing - always so moving - so mature. It often takes my breathe away to be honest. I think back to my girl as a wee babe - always anticipating each and every milestone. There is such a focus on those baby milestones, but I find that it really doesn't stop with babyhood. Oh no - it seems to me that it will never end - this eager anticipation that accompanies motherhood. I doubt I will ever stop celebrating this lovely person I'm so honored to know and love. I often daydream about what she will do in her life - who she will touch with her twinkling eyes and charismatic ways.

What an honor to get to watch this process, this unfolding. Once again I feel like a lucky mama indeed. And just think - I'll get to do it again, and again, and again...... 5 times :) What an adventure I'm on.

I love this picture of Skye - it's just ..... her :)

helping mama sew

This little Miss put every single one of my pins into my new pin cushion for me :)

I'm amazed at how long she sat there!

Of course then she promptly took them all out again ;)

I'm not complaining tho ;)

curiosity unhindered

Now this is what I love about homeschooling - watching what can happen with unlimited time to just live and play and be curious about whatever takes your fancy :) This boy of mine would happily spend the entire day doing one science experiment after another - and often does just that! He doesn't read yet, but that doesn't stop him when I'm not available - he figures it all out from the pictures ;)

It's a good thing that baking soda and vinegar are cheap ;)

Setting up a chain reaction here...fun :)

This one is so simple and fun. Just cut a circle out of paper and then cut in a spiral. Attach a string at the top and hold it over a light bulb and watch it spiral around from the heat.

A boy, a mama, and a sunny day.

Sascha and I got some alone time today. I had planned to do lessons, but it was a beautiful sunny day out and Mr. Sun himself insisted that we go out and play.....

some inspiration lead to a new table

which lead to a snack shared on said table...

followed by a visit to the tree house - be brave mama - it's waaay up there....

See what I mean?

The view peaking through the branches....

Waaaay out on a limb rescuing the kitten...

kitty safe again....

(ok let's face it - she's a cat and I'm sure she could get herself down, but he's awfully sweet to worry so)

What a sweet boy :)

"Swing Thing"

I made this for Miss Big A when this cutie-pie was a wee babe. It was one of the first sweaters I made - definitely the first non-newborn sweater - (meaning it was huge in comparison - I remember it felt like it was taking an eternity to ever finish it) Miss Big A almost always refuses to wear it - go figure - I mean it's *pink* for gosh darned sakes! The girl adores pink.

So I've taken to putting it on Little Miss A even tho it's still pretty big on her. I figure if I spent that long knitting it someone had better wear it - I'm running out of options ;)

The pattern is "Swing Thing" by Teresa Bellville at Little Turtle Knits.

The yarn is peace fleece in "Moskow Magic Pink"

It's 80% merino 20% mohair.

And no - I probably didn't need to post all 3 shots of her, but how's a mama to choose?

I think she likes it - I mean look at that sweet grin ;)

I've finally been finding some crafting time, so I may just have another pink sweater to show off soon - and yes it's for that girl who loves pink, but refuses so much of what I make. You see it's a "thing" now and it's going to bug me until I get it right ;) So far she's extremely excited about this current pink thing, so I'm thinking the Gods are with me on this one ;)

Wordless Wednesday

What autumn has been looking like....

I think my camera is such a good tool for reminding me to watch for the positive in life.

Even more so now that I'm taking more photos than ever before. In times when life gets busy and I feel frustrated for whatever reason it's so good to sit down and upload those reminders of the beauty of every day life.

bonfires

Turkey soup on a chilly day

Watching little ones enjoy turkey soup with cries of "more carrots please mama :)"

Really ? More carrots? Be still my beating heart :)

Making forts

And general monkeying around ;)

One of these days I'll get a chance to do some crafting - I did manage to get the tomatoes out of my studio - the entire floor and my whole cutting table were covered ;) In the mean time tho I'll just keep watching for these sweet moments with camera in hand.

Stuck ;)

I haven't had much to say lately - ok - nothing to say ;) We've been really really busy, kids not sleeping well - the creative juices are definitely not flowing ;) Every night when I would normally post I find myself yet again with nothing to say.

Soooooo I'm going to just be ok with that and take a break until life eases up a little and or I get creative. Of course now that I'm writing this I'll probably show up tomorrow ;) Or not ;)

It's kind of funny actually - I've been getting better sleep (the night weaning is going really well) but we've had quite a few disrupted nap times and there seems to always be at least one little one up late each night making crafting impossible. So I seem to have temporarily traded my sleepless nights for my alone time ;)

This too shall pass. In the mean time I'm feeling a bit like the poor cat above ;) But again - that's ok - I mean really - in the scheme of things I've got it pretty darned good - I need to remind myself of that from time to time.

He's her guardian

Little Miss A and Mr. S

When Little Miss A was born, Sascha followed in his big brother's footsteps and declared himself her guardian. In fact he was quite smitten with her right from the start. Mr. K had made the same declaration of Little Miss A when she was born. I find it quite fascinating for several reasons. First off they've matched up the genetics ;) Mr. S and Little Miss A take more after me, and Mr. K and Big Miss A take more after Andrew. Then the order thing - I've found that my kids don't tend to get along so well with the next younger sibling - so 1 and 2 - not so good- but 1 and 3 - is better. 2 and 3? Ugh. but 2 and 4? PRetty darned harmonious. I tend to think that is related to feeling threatened/replaced by the next in line so to speak. Understandable - I've heard it likened to how a wife might feel if her husband brought home a second wife and told how much she'd grow to love her in time - I'm thinking not so much. So Mr. K and Big Miss A are 2 and 4 and Mr. S and Little Miss A are 3 and 5 (order of birth)

Mainly tho - Mr. S and Little Miss A just look so much alike (aside of gender of course, but they tend to be so gender neutral at this age anyway...) it's quite staggering really. I went looking for some photo examples of the likeness tonite - I didn't do as well as I'd liked to have, but I did find some good ones :) See if you can guess who's who? ;) Not so hard I think actually - I don't always see the strong resemblance, but often times I've looked at Little Miss A and just been so struck with how alike they look.