every little thing

A (slightly fuzzy) Greek Fest Recap

 

 

I think Mike was really getting the hang of it -
considering he's not even Greek or anything.

Easter '08

Max is one lucky bunny.  Check out this year's Easter loot:

Fist, look at that killer, vintage basket.  Sweet, huh?  Found that thrifting last week, and I quickly repossessed it after the day's festivities were done.  And the goodies, oh my.  This is what happens when your parents are poor communicators and forget to tell each other that they already bought Easter basket stuff.   Daddy-bunny said that the new Wii game, Cooking Mama, was really a present for me, too (and it's really so fun!  I highly recommend it!)   Besides that, there were many fun Kidrobot toys, Mr. Sketch scented markers, Hotwheels, and just a touch of candy.  Pretty much the best Easter Basket ever.  And the whole day was perfect.  Family fun and good food.  Just as it should be.   

I hope everyone else had a happy weekend, too!  And is anyone else super-stoked about Spring Break?!  The weather here is supposed to get nice and balmy soon, the kiddo is home from school which I LOVE, (and how silly is that?  He goes to preschool for a measly 3 hours a day and I still hate it when he's gone.)  Anyway, I approaching the coming week with renewed vigor.  There is much fun to be had, and I can't wait.

Very Happy Valentine's Day!

Much love,

~Amanda

It's going around....

Yep, can you tell by the look on my face?  I caught Christmas Fever from Max, on Christmas day, in fact.   But it's not all that bad, really.  I'm feeling better, the week has still been fun, and I'm so grateful to have Mike and Max home to bring me pretzels and ginger ale, and I'm glad my shops are closed so I can just give into it a little, and enjoy the lounging in my pj's, and the watching movies, and the re-reading of crappy books.   Not so bad at all, really.  (Except this lousy virus is so strange, it's making me fell very *ahem* defective typewriter-ish.  Ladies, you know what I mean.)  Not to alarm everyone....that is not the case.  Just feels like it.  Blegh.  I can't even enjoy my fancy, new Christmas present yet.  I'll show it off  later, when I can stomach more than a few bites of plain popcorn.  My good friend bought me a delicious blondie the size of my fist tonight, and I could barely nibble on the corner.  It was pretty much the saddest moment of my life, such a travesty.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Holidays, and I wish you all a very merry New Year!  Thank you for all the lovely Holiday wishes and comments!  I hope to get back to everyone soon!

See y'all in 2008! 

Christmas Explosion

   

We were very late getting our decorations up this year, and since I  finally got caught  up with my work-stuff, I promised Max a "Christmas Explosion" this week, full of decorating, baking, shopping and all sorts of festive excitement.  And it started out on the right track, until Max was blindsided by an "explosion" of a different sort, as in a yucky stomach virus.  It struck the morning of his Preschool Christmas recital, of course, and long story short- he did NOT yack in the middle of the show.  Thank goodness, poor little guy!  He did however, puke all over the back of my mom's car on the way home, and then in various places around the house for the rest of the day.  Truly a pitiful site, he was convinced that Christmas was ruined and he laid like a slug on the  couch all day.  Mike says it's a case of Christmas Fever, an ailment he came down with the week before Christmas, every year from age 5 to 14.  So, we've got that to look forward too, eh?  The kid seems to be doing better today, he's keeping his goldfish crackers down so far.

 

I like the night-time pictures better.  My mom bought the mica houses for me for my birthday.  They are big and I love how they look on the  mantle, eventhough I had planned to put them under the tree.  She found  them at TJMax, of all places, and I think they were only $7 a piece!   She also made that silver wreath, too.  It's the perfect spot for it, I think.  I made the stockings several years ago from an old, tattered quilt my Great Grandmother made. 

 

I love our crooked, skinny tree!  Mike says I don't put enough lights on it, but I don't like to overdo it.  Plus, the thrifting was good this year, so our tree is almost entirely vintage ornaments.  Max has a smaller, fake tree in his room with colored lights and all of the crazy, kid ornaments.  He loves having his own tree.

I think I'll go check on the kiddo, and maybe make some cookies.  I hope everyone has a calm, peaceful weekend before Christmas!  (That's what I'm shooting for.)

Playin' Hookie

The Williamsburg Pottery  is one of the  strangest places I've ever seen.  It's hard to even describe it.  Basically, it's a giant place where you can buy almost anything.  Craft supplies, cheese, art prints, oriental rugs, live plants, kitchen ware, plastic sea creatures and just about anything else you could imagine (and of course pottery, and lots of it too!)   If you've been there, then you know how crazy it is.  We always go this time every year.  I can't say we actually purchase very much, but it's still an adventure.

 

   

It's a great place to take pictures, too.  It's been around for ages, the entire area is huge and sprawling, with several gigantic, warehouse buildings and outdoor areas with zillions of terracotta pots in every size you could imagine.  The buildings are old and dingy and the whole place has the charm of a vacant lot.  You just gotta go and see it for yourself.  I did snag some interesting, craft things to play around with, and I'll have more on that later.

Also, if you are out that way, and you have younger kiddies, you should stop by the Yankee candle Company.   I know what you're thinking, "A candle store?!?!  Why the heck would my kid want to go there?"  But  really, this place is pretty cool.

It's like they hired a Disney engineer to design it.  In the main entry there is a huge, vaulted ceiling with a realistic sky-ceiling. 

The rooms are elaborately decorated for Christmas, with lots of miniature scenes and trains that wind their way throughout the entire place on suspended tracks.  In one area, it "snows" every fifteen minutes or so.  (Sort of  strange, disappearing foam that falls from the ceiling, but it's really fun!)  Santa is there too, and you can take pics with him in his sleigh, and there is a cutsie, animatronic show in the main area too.  Cute stuff.  You should check it out if you're in Williamsburg.

(That's Max and my Mom.)   Boy, was yesterday fun!  Just what I needed.

strawberry fields FOREVER

...and ever, and ever with no end in site.  {Stop being so dramatic!}  Ok, so I have actually made a sizable dent in the berry orders, after a weekend flurry and a 4am all-nighter yesterday. 

After I tie that piece of jute and wrap them in tissue,  it's a pretty darn good feeling. 

There are still pints to go before I sleep, but I am now in the position to take a DAY OFF tomorrow and head up to Williamsburg with my mum and the Maxter for some serious Holiday shopping, browsing, playing, eating, frolicking, etc.  So excited!   And despite my better sense, I still really want to do that final, small Studio update with the creatures and such.  That is set for Friday the 7th.

Starting to decorate around the house now, and it was so cold and blustery today.  Almost convinced me that it really is December.

Norfolk Floral, which never fails to amaze me, has a huge  refrigerated  room of live wreaths and garlands.  I bought this boxwood wreath there, and I just love it.  It doesn't even need a bow.  I also adored  the juniper wreaths too, and the prices were pretty reasonable, the quality is excellent.  I even splurged on a few flowers for the dining table, too.

The colors are very, "Spring", no?  Oh well, I was just so drawn to them.  Besides, it's my house and I can do whatever I want.  So there.

Ooop.  Never too busy for a bit of thrifting!

 

It was a really good haul too, this is just a smattering of the goods.  Most will go to the Emporium, but not till 2008.  I'm keeping the gingham shakers though.  Maybe. 

Do check back in later this week, as the adorable runt of the creature litter will be part of a blog giveaway I have planned!  I'm so overdo for a giveaway.  Be there.

My Handmade-Present Hero

 

You gotta love Becky.  I think she really could have been the pioneer force  behind the handmade gift movement.  Sure, she was forced to seek alternative gifts  out of necessity, being a penniless orphan and all, but I think she was just way before her time.  Do you remember the scene I'm talking about, from the 1939 Shirley Temple Classic The Little Princess?  Becky befriends rich-kid Sarah, and has no money to buy her a birthday gift, so she makes this for her:

Awww!  I know, right?  Too damn sweet.  At least she got one word right.  But seriously, Sarah gets boat-loads of lavish gifts at their swanky party, but you know that this was her favorite one, right?  Handmade people, all about the handmade.  Becky could dig it.  By the way, if you haven't seen this movie, that would really baffle me because it's just one of those required movie that everyone has watched at least four times.  Like Ferris Beuller's Day Off or The Sound of Music.  In case this gem somehow missed you, you can actually watch it all (in 14 convenient parts) on youtube.  Here is the party scene, if you care to watch (have your hankies ready!):

So, it's handmade (or purchased  handmade) gifts for me this year, and I'm stickin' to it.  I even did the Handmade Pledge deal, though I'm sure everyone has heard of that by now.  I'm not going to be hard-core about it or anything,  (Max's stocking won't be complete without a few Hotwheels), but just the bare minimum.   

And in case you were wondering,  nobody's getting strawberry sachets this year.  Nope.  No Sir.   I've just about had my fill of those little darlings for one season, thank you very much.

Creatures of the Night

And I don't even have to remove the red-eye.

Look!  Miniature  toppers in action!  They seriously cheered up those cornbread muffins (and the grated  cheese, too.)  A perk of the business, there are always cute things do decorate food with around here.  If you are stocking up for next year, I have a few sets of the Halloween toppers left in the Emporium.   

Hope everyone had a great Halloween too!

Happy Halloween!