Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta

I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of fellow Librans on my Flickr art groups :) So I shall toot my own horn and declare this my birthday with pride :)
So for my birthday, I decided to do EDM# 243: Draw a pillow
This was an exercise in patience- the patience necessary to do it in coloured pencil... the patience necessary to get over the fact that the kids messed up the model TWICE (:-o) and the patience to get over the fact I don't have access to odourless mineral spirits to help blend. And alcohol and acetone do not work. Luckily I tried those on the first drawing which was the first messed up model ;)
Now if only I was allowed to take advantage of said pillow for my birthday ;)

Birthday Boy

Birthday Boy
Originally uploaded by Spinneretta

He turns 10 today- seems like such a short time!
I actually managed to figure out that a PHOTO might suffice to get a picture of him drawn- he is much more still then ;)
Not a perfect picture- but better than the others I have tried to draw of him ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY M'LADY

I can't believe that 5 years have passed since M'Lady was born! She is quite the character now :D She loves to play, to be read to and to have people do as SHE tells them too!
Things that don't go her way, are absolutely terrible- and cause a great deal of distress!
She is all girl- loves pink, cats and horses- and her Daddy and big Brother too (and her Mama too of course LOL).
She loves to give 'snugs'. What a delightful five years it has been!

Slowing Down...

So it looks like I haven't done much in the last couple of weeks. That's not really true.
I have produced SOME art. Not a daily dose as I should though. I have no excuse except to say I have a slight Artistic block- maybe it is the lack of vegetables ;)
No, indeed the last couple of weeks I have been focusing on getting my internet time sorted. I am on a trial where I really do not touch the computer while schooling the kids. It does make for better time, but I am not sure if it is the fact that we are not in Rebel's bedroom (where my computer is) being distracted by all the toys, or if they just like me reading or knitting better!

Rebel turned 9, and we had a day off for him to play with his new toys. Then last week he was sick with a cold- which meant that I gave him another day off. Sort of- it was more like unschooling :)

Last weekend we attended the Fall Fiber Festival at James Madison's Montpelier Virginia. This was MY birthday treat, and a lot of my creative energies are going towards the knitting and felting side of things. If I just has a few more hours each day I could do both! Instead I have to pick and choose :(

One up side, is that now the kids have seen sheepdogs in action, I can tell them that M'Lady is the sheep and Rebel is the dog (or vice versa) and get them to do things!!

In the meantime, I'll be trying to sneak my internet time back in during the afternoons to compensate :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET SON!!

Rebel turned 8 yesterday.
He woke up early and wriggled in our bed while Jacobite and I tried to get some more sleep. Finally we sent him down with a present from Nana and Grandad, to keep him quiet!

As I came down to make him some pumpkin pancakes (he loves pumpkin) I told him the story of his birth. He has heard the stories many times, but I like to tell them!

He did not want to go out for a special meal, instead he wanted to stay at home and have sausages (only because they were out of ham) and Lima beans. His greatest ambition is to get stronger!

He did not want a homemade cake, which was a shame because mine taste oh so much better, but we compromised. I wrote on a store bought cake with orange icing in a tube. Orange being his favourite colour.

He did well in the present department, faring well because the exchange rate is in my Mum and Dad's favour... meaning they get to send over lots of dollars for a few pounds!
Seriously though, they got him the ever impressive Lego sets, which later Jacobite and I helped someone get set up. Apparently he inherited from someone (not me) the inability to read the instructions first!
I got him halfway there so today he can finish it off. If he can find the piece he mislaid!

Oh well, he has some Rock 'em, Sock 'em robots to help ease any frustrations ;)

Now all he needs to do is hide the goods from his little sister, who has already tried to lay claim to the robots! (Takes after her auntie!)

Here is to eight more wonderful years!



PS Jacobite tells me these are terrible pictures of DS... and indeed they are not great. It is very hard to take a picture of a moving target... ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

Saturday was a special day… my daughter’s 3^rd birthday.
It doesn’t seem like 3 years. Every time I hold her, I am transported back to those baby moments of snuggling. She sleeps better now… and she can actually talk very well. I think she might cry and scream about the same amount though… everything is a big deal for her ;)

We got her a wagon for her birthday… an idea shamelessly stolen from my friend Brooke, who had wanted to get one for her son's birthday (he is exactly one day younger than M'Lady). We had spoken of a sandbox… but when we went looking, she decided on the wagon instead.

They were both up fairly early on Saturday, whereupon she opened her presents and sat playing VERY nicely with her brother.

I made some sausages and pancakes for breakfast, spoke to my Mum who had called to wish M’Lady happy birthday, then everyone ate breakfast. M’Lady did an impromptu fashion show so I could take photos of her in her new clothes before we all got dressed.

After we were showered and dressed, we put on our coats and went for a walk with the wagon.
This was a huge hit… M’Lady very graciously let Rebel ride with her, while Jacobite and I walked alongside, Jacobite pulling them along. A few threats every now and then to let them coast down some VERY steep hills, and the journey was over.

The rest of the day was spent in antique shows and department stores… until evening time. We asked M’Lady where she wanted to eat. It was a toss up between Cracker Barrel and Applebees… eventually the latter won out when we drove past in on the way to CB… following the pleas from the back, we turned around (luckily they are very close to each other) and went into Applebees… where M’Lady declared that her food was ‘delicious’ especially the blondie ;)

Back home to make more robots and watch some DVD’s and everyone was happy!