Christmas Card Shoot

Well, I've been thinking about this year's Christmas Card, and decided to head to Carter's to purchase a pair of Christmas Jammies for Cannon. I fell in love with a pair that read "Santa's Helper" and on the feet were reindeer heads and antlers! Bought them. Boom. I then convinced Flannery to put on her Christmas Jammies from last year, which she no longer wears (they give her a wedgie)...got both kids showered/bathed, Chris built a fire and we posed the chair under the mantle. YES! The perfect shoot for an adorable Christmas card. Last year, we used our Heritage Day picture, but this year's Heritage Day picture was crappy. Thus...

November...

The eating thing is going so well, I can't believe it. I have decided for 2 weeks, however, to eliminate gluten, to see if my rashes clear up. I itch on my joints and also the backs of my knees, inside of my arms, thighs...anyway, it's dry and itchy and keeps me awake at night. We're not sure if it's still because of the algae bloom in Seaside...it affected the water quality...it STUNK from the tap and we bought bottled water for 3 months. It was also when my hands strted getting really bad.

My hands itch almost constantly and they crack and ache. I usually have many fingers bandaged with neosporin and to do laundry or craft, I wear vinyl gloves. Nothing seems to help relieve it. So...for mom...I will give up gluten for 2 weeks and see if there is any relief anywhere on my body. I have been gluten free for 2 days so far.

I am missing the morning oats and flax seed - Chris says that in the USA, oats are not celiac safe, but in Europe, they are safe. I'm going to research that further. I like my oats! So, I have walnuts and blueberries for breakfast, veggie soups for lunch and dinner...tonight I made chicken breast cooked in diced tomatoes and oregano over brown rice pasta (Chris' gluten free stash). Not too shabby...just a bit chewy.

I've made 2 sales on Etsy (www.griefenthusiast.etsy.com) - It's fun, even if it doesn't rake in the money!

I went and saw This Is It last night. It blew me away. Aside from all the gossip, this man was a genius. He was so talented and he recognized it came from God. His music, his movement, the way he treated his dancers and musicians with grace and humility...he had such a wonderful way about him and to see him in raw form, practicing for the concert of his life, was...breathtakingly beautiful. I want to see it again...I have a whole new respect for his gift.

Today was "stay in jammies and watch football" day...and then, there was a wrestling match...which I of course took pictures of.



And...we've been getting our Christmas on...Boom.




And...Flannery and I have been crafting like CRAZY! Felt, Yarn, Plaster, Diecuts, pictures, mini albums...just one thing after another. Most of our friends and family are getting homemade gifts this year. We can't stop. And, this is one of my favorite books to get crafty with:

And, in the spirit of Elsie Flannigan...here's some eyecandy from Etsy...(not mine, don't get excited!)

The Crafter gets CRAFTY Online!

I have a STORE online!!! Trish has had a store for a while now on Etsy.com, the site where only handmade items are to be sold. I finally got one too and made my first sale a couple days ago! Yay!







Check it out HERE.

I am spending time every day now actually CREATING! It's so fun! And gee, maybe I can actually sell something, unlike the bazaars that don't make a dime. Not that I won't do a bazaar again...I am such a sucker for those.

Autumn has Arrived!

It is wonderfully stormy here today. The wind is roaring through the trees, sending loose leaves and pine needles spitting angrily throughout the air. Every once in awhile I hear a loud boom...either a little thunder, or my roof is buckling under the gusts. The ocean is dancing dangerously...and the color is an almost charcoal gray. My favorite look of the ocean so far. The only thing this day lacks is a fire in the fireplace, though with Chris at work, I'd be the only one keeping watch over Cannon's tender hands.

Another Walk

Went for a long walk yesterday afternoon while Sissy was at school and husband was sleeping from coming off a graveyard shift. The wheels squeak so loudly on the stroller as if I've collected a flock of seagulls or a hoard of crickets and shoved them in the diaper bag. It's loud and annoying. Chris decided to take Cannon for a walk through the waves...in the stroller last month. We keep forgetting to WD-40 the wheels. The rust on this beast is hilarious.

While walking through town, I saw this and thought to myself, "Well, it's about time."

Where's the ocean, Cannon?"

This is one of my favorite spots along the walk. It reminds me of the Long Beach trailer that my great grandparents owned. Kelly and I would play outside all day in the little foresty area before heading to the beach to play in the sand. We'd make "food" out of pine needles, rocks and shell pieces. We'd serve the food in Oyster and Clam shells that were littered all over the lot. I remember the entire driveway was Oyster shells. The sound of the ocean was always in the distance.

Cannon hates it when I stop the stroller, but if I hold up the camera and say, "Cheese!" He'll stop his grumpy face and smile and say "cheese" for me.

Make a Wish

We take a lot of walks...Flannery likes to pick a flower or weed for Cannon, and he loves Dandelions the best, because he blows on them. Well, he tries.

The Perfect Starting Point

Flannery ran around my dad's house, a couple weeks ago, snapping pics with my camera, and this was one of them. I was so glad she took this picture. It was September 11th, the day after my doctor's appointment regarding my bloodwork. It was my first day of vitamins, fish oil, low sugar and a focus on healthy fats and exercise. I remember that I didn't have cake, even though it was beth's birthday party. I chose not to.

I'm holding my little nephew Phoenix, my sister Beth is in the background, and I do not look healthy. I am saving this picture as a reminder of who I no longer want to be.

...and that double (or is it triple?) chin!

3 rolls...Oh Lord...my breasts just look like another roll.

I had my plain hot oatmeal this morning with fresh raspberries. I enjoy being healthy. And it's not about my size...my focus is on the good things I put in my body and the energy I expell. I feel so alive...finally. I finally feel there might be a future for me.

Stuff I Like Around the House

"Dee! Dee!" Cannon yells and runs to the window. Yep. Deer like to visit and they are less and less afraid of us...mainly Cannon, who bangs on the window and yells at the top of his lungs.

Christina brought this to me from Copenhagen. I love it. I dream of visiting Denmark in a few years. I adore Christina!

My new favorite Salt City Candle (for the moment) Bamboo. Lovely.

One of the many spectacular antique lamps Chris has found at antique stores. This one is glass, with hand painted stripes in gold and green.

We gained a lot of glass fruit from the house in Moclips. I love the detail and color.

Len and Betsy (Chris' dad & wife) came to visit and he gave me a pair of binoculars he got at Goodwill for just $12. They work great! We use them daily to spot whales, porpoises, sealion and pelicans. So much fun. What a great gift!

We found these cuties at Fred Meyer for 50% off. They match the majority of his wardrobe. He is such a doll in them, clomping around and making foot noises!

Chris bought this for me last Christmas. It is SOOOOO me! I love gawdy stuff like this, and the colors, peach and orange, are so pretty! Anyway, it holds a votive, though I've never used it for anything but inspiration.

My grandparents created this together. My grandpa Bauer is a carpenter and he cut out the shapes that my grandma had sketched on his jigsaw...then she painted each piece. From what I recall, in the 60s, there were plaques like this one sold at JC Penny's, and my grandma loved them, but they were so expensive! So she decided they would make their own. This is the middle piece, there are two other pieces which are smaller and sit on either side. They were above their fireplace for as long as I can remember as a child and I have always fancied them. She gave them to me a few years ago and I am so grateful because they are so ME!

Kelly's son, Josiah, spotted this at Big Lots one day while they were shopping and said, "We should get this for Auntie Erin." So, Kelly got it for me. I love it!

This quote is just one of many funny quotes that fill this flip book called, "You Say I'm a Bitch Like it's a Bad Thing." Kathi Wiley Gladson, Joshua Griffith's mom, bought it for me for Christmas 2 years ago and I have so much fun choosing a different quote for my mood! Some quotes I can't have out, due to a daughter who reads very well now, but they make me laugh. "I used to care, but now I take a pill for that." - "Be nice to your children...they'll choose your nursing home."
The tin next to it is another one of Chris' finds...I love it.

Stuff and Things

I think I'm going to start looking for these owls at thrift stores. I see them all the time...but I can paint them pumpkin and teal and make a neat wall of owls. These are Elsie's. Her blog makes me get excited about creating.

I don't practice yoga, persay, but I spend a lot of time staring into the ocean, breathing deply and worshiping God with my thoughts.

Found this amazing print with perfect wordage at FreyaArt. I was thinking it reminded me of Chris and I and is so appropiate to where we've ended up together. I love it!

This last thing is from Post Secret. Post Secret is intense and moving and funny and sad all at the same time. Poeple send in post cards with truths on them that they wouldn't tell anyone else. Sometimes it's disturbing but gives a glimpse into the human condition. I love this. I hope one day I can make it truth for myself.

A Pipe Dream

My beautiful friend, Courtney Roser, told me that the pipe I blogged about and photographed so curiously, is just a water intake pipe that leads to the aquarium. Well, locals don't know everything.