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...