The boy

I started school in the fall with the kids this year and boy oh boy have I been busy. I forgot all about my blog, the to-do list, Christmas cards and little things like the basement which was used today for the first time in months. I have had to stick to the basics.
It is wonderful to be in school. I'm using my brain! And thank god- it looks like it still has a little energy left in it. Its also wonderful to have my own 'thing'. I have been mom for so long and now I get to do some thing for me. It will also be for the family but by in large its mine to do and my success. Its busy but we're all getting thru and tomorrow.. out of no where... J turns four. What?!? FOUR? When did he get so big? When did he start wearing size 5 shirts and start talking about the girl he likes? He's a bonafied expert on corn snakes and anything Ben 10. When did he stop being my toddler and become a boy? Apparently it happened last night while he was sleeping because today he is a boy. And tomorrow when he wakes up he'll be a four year old boy. We celebrated him this weekend and tomorrow I'll pick him and his sister up at school and we'll do something special just us three.

My day..
..today I was able to sleep in.
..today all the laundry is clean.
..today the children are clean.
..today we put up more Christmas lights. (Who doesn't love Christmas lights?)
..today I didn't make lunch or dinner and dinner was so so good.
..today my kids got new toys to play with for J's birthday.
..today I had the chance to stay hello on my blog:)
..today I was able to talk to family and visit with them.
..today I finally found an invite I really needed to respond to.
..today is the last day my boy is three years old.
..today I'm prepared for my last full week of school before the new year.
..today was a good day.

woodland theme party

When E asked for a 'forest' themed birthday. I have to admit, I was completely stumped. Ba dum bum... But seriously folks.. I drew a blank. So I turned to Pinterest in my time of need for some inspiration. Of course.. since Pinterest is awesome personified, I found inspiration. So our woodland theme took shape.
We fashioned trees, pine-cones, nuts and seeds for our decor and even a few gnomes...
I bought a wonderful party package from the Etsy shop Itsy Belle. And off I went.
We did Gnome Freeze Dance, Pin the Beak on the Owl, and a Bee pinata.. that unfortunately was too quick and brutal to photograph.
We had toad stool cupcakes and a ribbiting frog that was a perfect lure for hide and seek.
I had a lovely table set too, with a bird nest complete with eggs, and the girls had a great time playing with the Gnome Costumes. It was a wreck by the time I considering taking pictures of it.. but it was a fun two hours.. and we are still enjoying the decorations till E's actual birthday this week. Who knows whats in store for next year;)

how our garden grows

We planted our first garden last year in containers mostly with a few in the ground too. We loved having the fresh herbs and tomatoes. The kids loved watching them grow and it was a great way for them to see where food comes from.

This year we made our little garden bigger. We planted 6 or 7 tomato plants, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions, beans and herbs. Again, it has been a great success. Showing the kids how things grow and making wonderful foods from our plants. We have a yummy spaghetti sauce in our freezer that is full of our garden veggies and almost every night at dinner we go out with scissors and add some fragrant herbs to our meals. We fill salads with our tomatoes and basil, use the rosemary when we make chicken and I will miss our garden this winter. Here are a few of our lovely tomatoes, some beans and two green peppers. I love having green tomatoes on my windowsill everyday. They change and turn the most amazing colours. How does your garden grow?

mushrooms and forest things

I'm starting preparations for E's party and here's a little of whats happening. We have lots more planned and I can't wait to show it to you!

4 Cats

How cute are these? My 3 & 5 yr old just got back from an Orca Whale Workshop at 4 Cats Art Studio, where they made these whales.. whats that you thought? cats? I suppose I should have done the side profile. Oops. My 5yr old's on the left and 3yr old's on the right. I'm loving 4 Cats and heading off to sign them up for more!

slippers

With the 'What will it be Wednesday' fail, I was off of felting for some time, but decided to pick it back up this week and had great luck! Here's my new super awesome slippers! It turned out so well the family is putting their orders in:)

preping for a party

Ever feel like you are going to kill yourself pulling a party theme together? Ever wonder how you are going to do it all, so the party will be perfect? I suppose it might just be me but I'm going to tell you my secret. ItsyBelle. Christy from Itsybelle has been designing away and has some wonderful birthday themes. All you have to do is print and go. It just pulls it all together!
If you are looking for more help she also has a wonderful blog packed full of great party ideas. E's birthday is fast approaching and I'm using a Itsybelle theme. It's given me some great ideas and we are all excited for party day.

drooling

I know its been far too long and I'm sorry about that.. but here's a little something to drool over.. that help? If you want to make me really jealous you can hop on over to Etsy here and buy this.