New cute things

If you have kids, I'm sure you recognize these three from Nickelodeons Ni Hoa Kai-Lan. It was a tedious but wonderful break and challenge from the Kokeshi Spool Dolls I normally make. Even better, they were commissioned by a fellow wood doll artisan, Beccijo of the Enchanted Cupboard ...which made 'my heart feel super happy' <--kai- class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" span="">Lan always says that. :)

A WAY overdue product will be arriving in the shop this week! I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful start to their week!

Update Tomorrow!

Finally, an update! Little Yuki in the center is a reserve I had promised forever ago to a wonderful etselebrity (that's what I call Etsy featured sellers) , Agnes Blum from Knockknocking (which reminds me I need to blog about her amazing work that I WILL own one day). I took this pic this morning and they are still unvarnished and not complete (one is missing half a face!), but I think you get the idea. I may have one or two additions if I can get them completed in time. Maybe. Hopefully.

Also in the update, a batch of sweet little, "falling" acorns amongst some other surprises!

* wishes *

We had a Jaidy birthday party today..definitely party on a budget but every little touch she asked for I tried with all of my soul to make happen. I can't believe my baby is five!

The Christmas Post

Christmas was small this year but absolutely wonderful! I found a foster-kitty who needed a loving home as much as I wanted to give him one! He stayed with my sis for a few weeks before Christmas so the girls had no idea!  

Christmas Eve, after the "feeding of the reindeer" and the setting of Santa's cookies and milk, the kids finally fell asleep. And my dad brought our kitty, Franky, home.

We've already given him "pet names": Frankford, Frankenbaby, Franklin, Frankfurter. I'm weird about names but the woman that fostered Franky and his brother Sammy LOVED them. She had bottle-fed the siblings back to health and they were her "kids" so I kept his name for her...ya, not a big "Franky" fan but the care she gave this kitty made him a sweet, loving, purring, hugging, sit on your shoulder-ing, people-loving cat and we adore him! I was waiting for him to freak after I put the Christmas collar on him but he didn't even flinch! He has no idea he is a cat. He also likes to play in water. We love the little weirdo!

 

Zoe made our tree topper this year..and we got new ornaments to commemorate the beginning of our new life. The ones above in the first pic, Jaida picked out the hedgie (that's my girl!), and the faux gingerbread cookie ornaments are from my mom (we got six on a cute tiny cookie sheet). Below are some of my other favorites from this Christmas season. I picked the snowman to mark and remember the year 2009: a really difficult year but an important one nonetheless.

The plastic tree with my baby's kindergarten picture was Zoe's creation. She was beaming when she gave it to me so I will forever picture that expression every year I see this ornament. :)  The little beaded ones are from a collection that a very good friend from New Zealand (or Sea land as my girls call it). She also sent yummy homemade chocolate confections which were gone in under 3 minutes! Living so long in a city without friends or family, I'm so thankful for the few really good friends I've made through Etsy and Flickr. Cupcake (Kaysie), you are another one! You've been such a great friend to me over the past couple of years that I've known you....why must you two have to live so far away?! Thank-you so much for "being there" for me and my girls. You have the most beautiful hearts, and I heart you for it!

♥ Shop Update 1/16/10!♥

The Perpetual Game of Catch-Up

I thought about it the other day, just how jipped my girls have been. There's just not much fun to be had with a couch-potato father and an agoraphobic mother, lol! Lately I feel like I've been transported back where I left off before I started having panic attacks. I feel motivated again, my ambitions are back. It was a leap of faith to move on with my life and I'm so grateful I had the courage to not only leap, but to not take somebody back (pats self on the back). I wouldn't have even cared to make things better had it not been for my two little girls...I thought it was impossible to have more reasons to love them so much!

 

I really want to get the kids into dance, martial arts, cheer leading...something to nurture their self-esteems. I tend to feel particuarly overprotective in this area because it's a fear of mine that these two will be like mommy. Of course, I'm not a a horrible person, but fear and insecurities really hindered opportunities in my life while I was young...like a ball and chain. I can't help but think of how things would have been had my young life not been ruled by those two suffocating traits. 

My sister's youngest turned 3, and I've talked about "Martha Sister" before and so of course his birthday was a giant fun-fest for kids even for my little sick Zoe! Here's some more pics from that day!There's nothing more entertaining than watching the maniacal playing of hot potato...or in this case hot monster truck...kids go crazy! I wish I had video of my nephew hitting that pinata. It was like 'tap,tap,tap' and he bent both knees with every tap. Adorable and hilarious! One bonus to the party was the arrival of Santa...aka, the PC Beach Fire Department...the boys got candy filled candy canes, the girls Disney Princess ornaments filled with candy and we all got chocolate!