CELEBRATING

{D.I.Y. tags}

*Martha Stewart bird punch + circle punched brown bags + branch doodles = christmas tags

CELEBRATING

{imagination}

*the shepherd & the wise men going to see baby Jesus in an audi TT.

CELEBRATING

{sleep}

...........I'm going to bed...I can barely keep my eyes open. It was a full & busy day at home; one of those where I only sat down to eat a quick lunch (which during I got up 3 times) and to feed Caiden. Oh how thankful I am for those pockets of quiet during these busy days!

And his smile.

Yes, that still melts me every time! :)

CELEBRATING

{singing christmas music}

CELEBRATING

{work day with daddy}

CELEBRATING

{togetherness}

~such a blessing...to baby-sit the boys. They were so delightful and excited about everything in life. They love to have books read to them....what a wonderful legacy to give them at such a young age. Thank you for the opportunity to be in your warm & cozy home, filled with children's laughter & the presence of the Lord.

[email from my mother-in-law after my date night with John]

CELEBRATING

{mobiles}

*and the fact that 2 long-awaiting projects are finally done! mobiles just make me happy~

CELEBRATING

{laundry}

"Life was better in those days, it really was. When China Mae did the wash in the wash house, and we put the fire under that big iron pot, why it was an exciting event. China Mae had joy over making the clothes come clean, while people today would think it was a drudgery. We kind of celebrated on wash day. Mama would make a pineapple upsidedown cake, and Louella and I would make stickies out of biscuit dough and cinnamon and sugar, and after that big load of work was done, we all sat down and had a tea party."

p. 334 from At Home in Midford

CELEBRATING

{caiden's first drawing}

CELEBRATING

{magic}

*drew exploring John's old box of magic. did you know I married a magician? I did! And boy, does he have some pretty cool tricks up his sleeve. But one of the [unwritten] marriage agreements was that there were no magic secrets. And drew is following right in his daddy's footsteps. He loves to figure out magic tricks. (please note that drew is in his very own personalized dress-up outfit, not code for going out!)

CELEBRATING

{snow}

*and lots of it. just a couple of days ago, it was 60*. and now, it's been snowing and snowing. like the inside of a snow globe. now it's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas. (which means I have a lot to do!)

CELEBRATING

{weekending}

*there is a lot of handmade-type vendors around these parts. Lots of artsy influence and school. Some of it is great, some of it is--well, I guess we all have our own opinions. However, I was able to go to the Handmade Holiday Festival with my friend, Richele. We went last year and were delighted with inspiration. This year was even more expanded.

*have lots of old wool sweaters on hand? take a look at her book and see all the wonderful things you can do with them! she was the inspiration behind John's blanket (that's still a working progress). and next to crispina is her dad of The Dolphin Studio, who has been printing their calendars in these parts for years (see above photo of calendar). he is also the one who made the pottery. the orange heart magnet came home with me. we also chatted for some time about Ireland, his homeland. he said his neighbors there are "Quinn's" so me thinks I need to go meet my Irish heritage at some point!

*the festival took place in Crispina's studio where she has huge bins of felted sweaters, all color-coordinated. I think I was drooling.

*delicious children's Indian shoes.

they reminded me of A Little Princess.

*some other great vendors that I didn't get any pictures of:

Lorna's Naturals

Recycle Moe

(you *really* ought to check this one out---they had the coolest stuff!!!)

CELEBRATING

{new equipment}

*almost feels like a new child. except it doesn't require any changings, sleeps through the night from day 1 and keeps itself completely clean. no bed-bugs. pretty nice.

CELEBRATING

{lost teeth}

*drew has lost his 2nd tooth this week. the other one is already grown in. the *tooth fairy* granted drew a whole dollar for his first tooth, but seems to be feeling the economy squeeze as well, for she only left 50c. for this one. (though she got lost the first night and didn't make it until the second night.) so even with all this *pretending,* drew is not fooled at all by all this. he knows *exactly* what is going on. (wink) but it's still fun to pretend. oh, and the eye patch is also a new thing for drew. dr.'s orders, for 3 months-every morning to strengthen his weak eye. we technically only have until he turns 7 before his eyes are "set." so we're CELEBRATING another hole in drew's mouth and a chance to be a "real pirate" for a couple of months. signs of growing children!

CELEBRATING

{daddy-at-home}

*today is a sad sort of day. it is the beginning of a new "era" for our little family. we have been so so lucky that "dad" has an office here so he can work-at-home. which has meant all sort of wonderfullnesses. like having him here for lunch. or a quick visit by the boys for some licorice (or better yet, for me, a late morning kiss*), or when I run into a snag with 2 of the boys, he intercedes for a few minutes so I can man-handle the baby, or a quicky errand while the young boys are napping---which is a thing of the past. a break time wrestle session on the mats with dad will have to wait until after dinner. my mornings will now consist of handing off a bag lunch, a (long) smooch, and everyone waving goodbye out the window. yes, it is a sad sort of day at the neiner household. we have been so very, very lucky to have John's presence if only but here & there throughout the day. but, we are CELEBRATING the wonderful year & 8months we did have him here with us throughout every day. and, of course, this will just make the "welcome home's" even more sweet.

CELEBRATING

happy december!

I cannot believe it is already *that* month!
Since my days are slipping by me like sand falls through one's hand, I decided to keep up with my one/a/day, very little thought-but still keeping a record, type blogging. My brain cannot handle any more at this season of my life, but I don't want this time to pass unforgotten. (right now, I am quickly typing because 2 boys are by my side asking for more chocolate chips from the tin in their reach while Caid is "calling" for me. Why does this always seem to coincide with a quick blogging post?)

SO, this month, I am going to (attempt) to post daily with the theme of CELEBRATION.

First one being, our first snowfall of the season, also Caid's first snow fall! Which is very, very unusual for new england! But we're not complaining. We know *Jack Frost* will be here soon enough, and he certainly doesn't move on any time soon.

{first *snow* fall}