Family Picture

Well, it's that time of year when I go through the last 11 months of pictures and realize that we don't have a single family picture suitable for the front of a Christmas card. So I make a spur-of-the-moment decision to take a family picture RIGHT NOW, herd everyone outside, set up my camera on the rickety old fence, and hope for the best.

After about 20 shots of Moses grabbing his brother by the right eyeball, we decided to change locations (and I began to wonder why I hadn't done my hair or even thought about what I was wearing).

The change of location necessitated the grabbing of at least one chicken to add interest to the photo, which, of course, took long enough that Titus became hungry and cold, and the sun started to go down.

Chickens, it turns out, are slippery.

Perhaps a better idea would be to put the chickens in the background of the shot and get two much less annoying and unpredictable animals to add interest to the picture . We quickly scrapped that idea when we realized that dogs have no idea what "look at the camera" means (or apparently, "sit" or "stay,") and that Bentley looks like a terrifying underworld beast on film.

So, the Christmas card is still in the works. Maybe we'll try again this afternoon...

SALE in the shop!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Now through Monday everything at Junie None is 15% off. All you need to do is enter coupon code Thankful at checkout. Now is your chance to stock up on baby gifts, stocking stuffers, and holiday decorations. Have fun shopping!

P.S. I just put lots of items on sale to clear things out for a new year... check them out and remember to type in your coupon code to get an additional 15% off the sale price!

Midweek business

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving everybody! I'm excited to start cooking, how about you? Yesterday I listed a few new sachet sets in the shop (think stocking stuffers, teacher gifts...) and tried my hand at a festive new banner (let me know what you think). I also bought two doll patterns, one knitting pattern, and some yarn in preparation for making Christmas gifts. I think I might have gotten in over my head, but what the heck. I'll keep you posted on how those projects go (except for the ones that are for people who read this blog... those ones I'll have to save for after Christmas). And in case I get too wrapped up in cooking brussels sprouts, chatting with family, drinking cider and figuring out where on earth to put our Christmas tree, I'll wish you an early Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!

Treasure Hunt

Trapped inside by the rain this morning, my oldest son, with a wistful twinkle in his eye, said, "Mom, I just want to have an inside adventure with you." How could I say no? I threw together a hasty treasure map (of the bedroom), stuffed it into a bottle (old artichoke jar), and we found it in the sea (kitchen floor). Off we went into the jungle (bedroom again), where we overcame numerous obstacles (mainly unfolded clean laundry) to discover the buried treasure (bags of marbles). It was pretty fun - mostly great to see a smile on his previously bored face. If a mommy isn't careful, these rainy days can make a fellow miss his best friend.

Yep, it actually works

Let's just say you are going for a run and take your pepper spray along with you to ward off any potential wild boar or neighborhood dog attacks, and since you have never had a chance to use it, you decide to give it a little test spray. If, hypothetically, you found yourself in this situation, I don't suggest firing the test shot directly in front of yourself. While you are running. Into the wind. Just a suggestion. And, hypothetically, if you did do such a stupid thing, you might want to check out this link to figure out how to ease the endless burning FIRE that is now raging on your legs, arms, nose, and right ear lobe. Hypothetically.

DIY Friday

It seems that I get the crafting itch even more than usual near the holidays - of course, I am also so busy with the normal activities of being mommy and running Junie None that I seldom get beyond the gathering ideas phase. So I thought I'd share some of my I-wish-I had-time to-do-it crafting plans - maybe you are better organized than me! (and if you make any of these things you must send me pictures...)

This succulent wreath was in the Better Homes & Gardens magazine that my friend Jess passed on to me - isn't it beautiful? I love succulents; very hard to kill, and believe me I've tried. Plus this could be used indoors or out.

Then there are these darling dinosaurs I'm thinking of making for a certain dino-obsessed two-year-old I know. You can order the instructions from Bit of Whimsy Prims on etsy, as well as tons of other darling patterns. A definite must-see for you crafty gift-givers.

I've promised myself that I will make these velvet flowers for my house some day - the instructions are in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living (thanks again Jess!) Aren't they so cool?! And they look really easy to make, too.

Then there is this adorable notebook pattern I found on Sew Mama Sew. The tutorial is put together by Jennifer from J Casa, another of my favorite etsy shops. This would make such a great gift, and she shows a bunch of cute ways to personalize it with embroidery.

OK, that's it for now. I'm sure I'll come across lots more things I want to do but wish you would do instead. I'm crossing my fingers to get at least one of these projects done by Christmas (though I also have 2 quilts in mind to make as gifts...). Happy crafting!

Because I know you have some empty wall space...

My sister-in-law's etsy shop is open! Hooray for everybody who can now buy her beautiful paintings! Go check her out...

Sick Day

Today Moses was coughing enough to make me feel too guilty to take him to school. With nothing else on the schedule besides laundry, we ended up with a rare morning at home. And what a gorgeous morning to spend on the farm!

I think all three of us were feeling low on energy this morning, so it was nice to putter around outside doing nothing in particular other than watch the leaves blow around and enjoy the beauty.

Of course, there were bikes to ride...

And plenty of rose hips to throw at the geese (don't judge us, those guys ended up mean and we still have pretty bad aim).

Hopefully we're feeling better soon, but this ended up being a pretty great sick day.

Titus is 2!

Somebody turned 2 yesterday, and all he wanted was a blue cake and a jumbo jet.

I managed the blue cake (complete with lots of bowl and beater licking):

... but we're still working on that jumbo jet. Maybe for Christmas, Titus. :)

(Oh, and now if you ask him how old he is, he will respond "I'm a wild boar." Hmm... I wonder why...)

Just for laughs

I just found this at my dad's house and couldn't resist posting it here for you all to enjoy. My brother David made this for himself when he was probably 10 or so (He is now a famous scientist - you can read more about him here and some of his work here). I don't know what cracks me up more, the bit about "un called for" or the fact that my mom signed it. Classic!

Capes

Do your kids like capes? Man, my boys have spent the whole week running around the house wearing nothing but underwear (or a diaper) and a cape. I'm always afraid they will accidentally strangle themselves, so I've started attaching the capes with clothespins rather than tying them in a big knot. I remember doing the same thing as a kid - I loved the feeling of the blanket billowing out behind me. I felt so fast! Here Titus is modeling the latest "cape" (aka quilt) in my shop - don't worry, I didn't let him actually fly in it. :)

Holiday Bunting in the shop

I've listed some Christmas bunting in my shop - isn't it cute? I love using thin strips of fabric for patchwork, and it was fun making something for the holidays - I'm already excited for Christmas and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet!

I want to make more of these and put them across all the doors in our house (there aren't many doors, so it shouldn't take too long). Just a little splash of holiday color. :)

Doesn't Titus look sweet under the bunting? I love this shot, and it was actually an accident. Sweet little guy.

The bats and the bees

You know how when you get stung twice by a wasp while rescuing the cat from your dad's raccoon trap, and have to call your husband outside to rescue you and the kids from an impending swarm you try to act all tough about it? Like, this is no big deal, I'm a country girl and enormous venom-injecting bugs totally don't bother me at all, and I totally wouldn't have needed your help if it wasn't for all these tall weeds? And then you go down to the basement to wash your comforter and a bat flies into your head and you drop into a fetal position on the floor, throw the comforter over your head, and scream like a little girl for your dad to come rescue you? And you realize that no matter how long you live here you are still a girl and there is no reason to ever get used to airborne rats slapping against your face. And it's a darn good thing there are a bunch of big hulking men around here to save you from them. And then you go home and give your husband a kiss and thank him for the earlier wasp rescue... but you don't tell him about the bat incident. Some things are better off kept secret. (shh, don't tell!) :)

Oeuf Happy Day!

Today we got our first egg! I am completely thrilled - no more watery odd-colored things from the store that my children refuse to eat. I was beginning to think that we would have to wait until spring to get eggs, since the days are getting shorter, and a chicken's egg production depends on how much sunlight she comes into contact with. But this little brownie is a very good sign - and I definitely feel like I've earned it!