The Friday That Seems Like Monday

With all the kids home yesterday today feels like Monday and I have the workload the prove it :-)

Everyone is off to school as scheduled this morning and now I need to get caught up on releases and emails.

Before I do so, I must tend to this lovely face asking for her morning ear rubs :-)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone and stay warm!

More Snow....

We awoke again the the cell phones going off at 5:30am announcing a 2 hour delay for school for the girls.  It is still dark out but I quickly opened the door to the Ice Mistress and it looks like we have about 5 inches and still falling.  Here is a shot of the falling snow as it whisked past my camera lens.

I had to resist jumping out into it barefoot, it looks so soft and welcoming but I was quickly brought back to reality as the wind gently brushed my cheek and a chill quickly ensued down my spine.

Here is a portrait of a very bored 10 year old waiting for school:

Stay tuned for some releases today from Zindy Nielsen, Ching Chou Kuik and more :-)

Making a List....

And checking it twice, I gathered up the Christmas pressies that I have ordered online and made piles for all the kids and I think we are done.  My wonderful Son had offered to wrap the last of them and bless his heart, I was so very grateful to have that task done.

Last night was rather joyous with the kitchen filled with the aroma of lasagna and garlic bread, Bob makes the best garlic bread.  9 bodies all hanging out talking, sitting on the counters and sharing what our week has produced so far.  The kitchen is the center of our home (literally and figuratively) and seems to be preferred over any couch that might be available.  The menu for tonight will be Gumbo which my Son is making and being a chef with classical training I am really enjoying having some varied recipes, but quite frankly my hips are starting to rebel.  After making Marzipan bars and Baklava I am afraid I am resigned to just enjoying and will deal the results after the First of January :-)

My Step Son has been gone to visit his Son down South and came home last night and it was good to see him.  The kids played with the girls and the house was a jumble of varied laughter and squeals of delight and giggles, it made my heart happy.

I have been trying to get some reading done and I am currently working on the following titles:

I have a voracious appetite for books and have so many that I have thought about doing a book exchange of sorts.  I will have to continue to think on that subject.

I hope that everyone is thriving and also finding time for peace during this blessed Season.  Remember to slow down and enjoy each moment the day brings, hug a loved one, sip slowly and love with a full heart.
 
"Life is too short for drama & petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly"

Whimsical

Bob and I have been working on more of the House Mouse collection and will be releasing several today that we hope you enjoy.  So much of our artwork is centered on fantasy and these cute little characters bring so much charm and whimsy I have to smile when I work on them.

I needed the bit of a smile with all the cold and snow, I tend to get house bound other than picking up the kids from school and day care which is often preceded by alot of moaning as groaning as I go out the door.  You rarely will see me at the grocery store (they all know Bob by name) at any time of the year let alone Winter.  I would be just fine to be inside for 5 months of the year surrounded by the things I love and the artwork that we convert for your needle.  Although I say that now and probably couldn't ever do it.  Makes me wish at times that I lived aboard the Enterprise and could beam myself elsewhere at a whim.

We have been thinking about moving more and more and also realizing that selling this very specialized house will be difficult in this market, so we sit and wait out another Winter. 6 of them have passed now and I wonder if it is just the thought of moving or the fear of change which has never really caused me fear but we are well rooted here and the roots run deep but yet we don't love it or dare I say even like it here.  It is not the "here" but the place in which surrounds us.  Flat lands, farm lands and a different way of life that is so foreign to us and so far away from the cool ocean breeze that is so much a part of our core beings.  We tend to try and live as sustainably to the environment as we can and not only the environment but our bodies and there isn't even a place to really get good organic food here.  We talk about the importance of nature and respecting it and people start talking about corn fertilizer and the benefits of using Anhydrous Ammonia in the fields for a better harvest - what???  You mean you put that in the soil and we eat the produce?  I have learned alot about organic farming and well farming that is also not so organic and find it pretty scary.

Two people from very far away places, Bob from St. Thomas Virgin Islands and myself from Southern California, very warm climates and yet we end up here and I am so ready to leave.  What brought us here was my position at the Mayo Clinic and while it was a wonderful job, we are now self employed and the realization that we can pretty much live anywhere we like as long as there are schools nearby and my recently moved in Grandchildren and Son are on their own of course.

Hmm, where would that be?  Northern California on the coast in a tiny little home overlooking a cliff at the crashing sea?  A little cabin atop a mountain top in Colorado?  A little home with a thatched roof on the coast of Beliz? I don't know and all I do know is that I would prefer anywhere but here.  We tend to live rather simply and our lives have become complicated since moving here and downsizing is one of the goals on the list.  The maintenance of a land this large and a herd of 7 horses makes for alot of work despite the normal daily activities with HAED and as we move into our 50's this idea becomes more idyllic.

I will continue to wait and see what the road brings and continue to be a good student of the Universe and learn what I must.

I Am Sooooo Pleased!

I got an email from Kinuko's husband and with the outpouring of emails from people that were so disappointed her work had been retired, they have decided to renew their contract.  The only glitch is that the following images will not be available but the rest of her images are back on our site. 

Chinese Angel

Roanoke

Elfland

Cybelle's Secret

Claire's Wings

New QS's and a SK

We are working on some new QS's and an SK today and the images are below.  Nadia Strelkina's work is so beautiful that we wanted to offer smaller more focused designs of her work and are very pleased with the outcome of these.

We are expecting more snow today and so far we have had the most snowfall since 1991 and the horses are absolutely loving it.  I found some quiet time yesterday and just sat at the kitchen table watching the horses play in the field.  Eva and Daphne have become true friends and it is beautiful to see the two of them at play.

Eva is growing up so fast and as I was grooming her last night she is almost the same height as Daphne who is 2.5 and Eva is 1.5 so she is indeed going to be around 17 hands and what a proud girl she is....

Countdown

It dawned on me last night that we have 12 shipping days left before Christmas and I suddenly became overwhelmed. Not only do we have our family to buy for but with 5 more people added to the mix it suddenly became an huge moment of realization that I have not nearly finished my shopping. I must get on that before the week is out and I normally have everything done by 12/1 and I hate waiting until the last minute.

We have signed a new artist by the name of Dean Morrissey and his work is simply gorgeous! He has a storyteller feel to his work and his Santa's are simply stunning. We will be working on several of his pieces for release today :-)