the latest...

1. i have sawdust in my eye. ouch.
2. today i got a little desk (new sewing table) and top of a hutch for FREE off craigslist, just had to go and pick it up. hooray!
3. i am going to spend the weekend making over cleaning my craft room.
4. i am very ready for the snowboard trip
5. the play kitchen is almost complete. i ended up painting it pink and adore it!

merry, merry

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, all!

We had a great Christmas. The eve was spent at home celebrating with the smalls and then we headed for St. Louis the next day. It was so great to see everyone. Anyone who knows me knows that I haven't always been close with my family. But I am making the effort and I think that was all that was needed. I really enjoyed the time there. Plus we went to REI to get some additional snowboard trip gear and got away for a kid-free lunch at a restaurant with actual cloth napkins! What more can a girl ask for?!

I started making tutus about 2 weeks before Christmas and ending up selling them to some lovely girls big and small. Add some cats and a stuffed animal to that and the story is complete. It all started with making some for my butterfly nieces in Portland (who have not actually received theirs yet...spoiler alert, Erin!) and Aaron said "you could totally sell those". (Yes, he said totally). And I did. :)

Speaking of Aaron and making. He made the most amazing play kitchen for Lola. It is incredible, better than any I have ever seen. He was working on it up until the end. We are still painting it...pics to follow soon. (I am so proud of this man!)

Oh, and I won the most amazing jam-packed box of cute from Elsie at A Beautiful Mess that included the sweetest painting, some stationary items and poprocks! I am loving her boy's music, too! She and the rest of the Red Velvet Art girls will be opening a shop in Springfield in Feb that calls for a roadtrip! Thanks, Elsie.

Aaron is off work for the week and the boys are doing all things Star Wars...legos, Wii games, battling with cardboard tubes.

Lola had a great time in St. Louis. She has learned to harness the power of her cute and manages to make friends everywhere we go. Here's hoping that power is only used for good.

We don't have huge New Year's plans. Some friends are hosting a wine tasting and we have been given the fantastic gift of a mother-in-law who enjoys the company of our smalls. Should be fun.

Gave up resolutions years ago. But it's already shaping up to be a wonderful 2009. Here's wishing the same for all of you!

(If you are still reading, sorry if this sounded manic and rushed...trying to blog quickly before the boys finish their last game.)

box it up

pandora radio is becoming a close and trusted friend. she usually knows exactly what i want to hear, when i want to hear it and every once again surprises me with little gems from the past. thanks pandora, it's the little things that make me happy.

whatelse, whatelse? spent the day doing homework, catching up on some craft blogs, handsewing a little project for lola and doing some laundry. kind of nice, really. though i am looking forward to a much busier schedule.

interviewed for a part time day job sort of gig yesterday and should know by friday. and will be doing massage at riley's karate school a couple of days a week.

Which craft?

I often have great intentions of being that certain breed of urban-chic mom. You know the type -- she crafts, bakes, sews with her kids, decorates with said craft/sewing projects, saves the planet/whales/cause of the week and still finds time to check out the latest, hippest local happening.

I am not that mom. Or at least not all at once. I figured (and my husband would often be quoted as saying) that I should just do it. Do something. So here goes nothing. All of my nonexistent readers out there can hold me accountable. Deal?

First task...record for posterity all of the Riley-isms that I carry around in my head. Many of these have already been past around anecdotally. But should be recorded nonetheless.

One of the earliest and most memorable was "The Dangerous Moves Academy". He was probably 2.5 -3 years old and he told me very matter-of-factly and on several occasions that before he was born he trained at the Dangerous Moves Academy. Apparently the "Academy" taught him how to be brave and do Dangerous Moves. The moves were mostly twirls and karate kicks, but every once and awhile they also included some sweet Henry Rollins-esque moshing.

Another classic from the early years:
Q: "How was school today?"
A" "LaPetite is for chumps."

And then he gets philosophical and starts to ask about death. Casually as he is playing on the living room floor he asks, "when you die and you're not a human anymore you go up with Kevin, right?". When asked who Kevin was he says, "he's the guy who teaches you Kung Fu."

So there you go.

He can always be counted on to say something very literal, funny and incredibly imaginative. Only to him it's the facts. Like did you know if you are bad to Santa then you get coleslaw? True story. You heard it here folks.

I know there are and will be hundreds more. I love you, Riley Ohs!

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