Alison's

Growing Up

Freaky Friday?  Well, our Friday 13th, found this scene:

Here was V, sitting at the table diligently working through workbooks, practicing writing letters, and rather studious in appearance.

Then comes T, longing to follow in his sister's footsteps.  I set him on a big chair, at the big table, and he began his diligent efforts to get through his coloring book as studiously as his sister.

I couldn't get enough of just watching them, although of course I was diligently folding laudry while doing so!

...and yes, no matter how many times we flip the crayon to the correct side, T really does prefer writing with the opposite side of a Crayola twistable!  It's kind of ok by me - that means nothing shows up if he ever tries to scribble on a wall, right?!

T-Time - My Guy!

I don't know how or when V started calling her brother Gi-gi (rhymes with piggy).  And that has evolved to Gig, or Guy, or most often Guy-guy.  T definitely knows his name.  And has a sign for it (hold out a T in sign language, or hold it up high like he does!).  But sometimes I wonder if he will end up thinking his name is also Guy Guy.  Anyway, sitting with my guy tonight as he wouldn't go to bed quietly (which causes a problem as he shares a room with sister who needed to get to sleep), I noticed a couple of long-ish fingernails that I thought I'd just trim by tearing them.  He actually sits very still and is fascinated when I use clippers, but I'm still in the habit of doing it the way you safely do tiny baby nails.  I just did one, maybe two, and then he did something he's done a time or two before - he immitated me.  It is so sweet!  He immitates tearing a nail off a finger of one hand with the other hand and then jerks his hand away in just the same motion I use!  You'd really have to see it to fully comprehend, I suppose, but it is just one more little thing I love about him!

Come Thou Fount

Getting ready for the Sabbath tomorrow, helping my 4 year old review her talk for Primary, came across this... 

 

Incredible photography is by Nick Brandt http://www.nickbrandt.com

...makes me think my brother should spend some years in Africa with his camera...

Best Christmas Ever!!! And a Happy New Year!

Being New Year's Day 2012 (Can you believe it!?!) I thought I'd start out by sending wishes for a Happy New Year!  We've enjoyed a quiet day starting off with church (pushed back to the 11:00 schedule - hooray! for not having to get up so early! - dismay! for the alteration to the nap schedule! - never know how it's going to go...), and rounding out with our first attempt at stay-at-home Chicken Tikka Masala.  Both kids ate it up and though I don't think it is an absolute substitute for our favorite Indian Restaurant chicken tikka masala, the Cook's Illustrated recipe yielded about the closest thing I think we could get to it.  The chicken tasted just right minus a tandoori oven - and the sauce, while not an exact replica, was delightfully tangy, the right consistency and color, and as I said, passed muster with the kids!

There's nothing like the happiness that exudes from children on Christmas Day!  The thrill of Santa's visit done, gone, and all the goodies under the tree is so delightful to behold in the eyes of a child.  My children, V in particular, was exultant!  Her repeated exclamation "This is the Best Christmas Ever!" was followed by thank you's to each of her family and hugs and raptures.  Even knowing she'd have to wait until after church for most of the excitement to begin didn't diminish the fun for her. One present was opened Christmas Eve, stockings were first to be dismantled once we were back home from church, and the presents were tapered throughout the day.  I'd agree with her, this Christmas was lovely.

Here are a few of our photo memories.  Or perhaps a lot of photos (for the Grandparents!).  Wish I had video-taped a thing or two, but photos will have to suffice.  Thank you, all of our loved ones, for your cards, gifts, and wishes sent our way!

 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

 

That's what I feel our Christmas is like this year - Merry and bright, but on a small scall.  Just our little family.  A couple of nice meals, a few presents under the tree, stockings filled to the brim, Christmas carols playing...Happy Christmas to You too!

[Photos all Christmas Eve chez nous]

The Tough Sale

Following up on my previous post about my ebay sales...the last of my listings closed last night.  I figured that was as close to Christmas as I could manage this year.  So oddly, you may have noticed that I decided to put a pair of T's old shoes up for auction with all the beauty lots.  When I saw the first bid on them, I felt an odd pang.  Knowing they'd be leaving has been surprisingly hard.  And seeing last night that they did sell with a few bids on them was truly hard.  I've always thought that the kids clothes with known brands were something of an investment as they'd be easily sellable on ebay if they were still in good condition.  And I wasn't particularly attached to these shoes although he wore them plenty.  Life is just funny this way - things touch us or hit us hard and it is difficult sometimes to know why!

$elling...(kaching, kaching)

Yep, I've been capitalizing on the Christmas buying rush by selling gift sets on ebay.  It's all part of the plan I've had for clearing space from our house.  I knew this was the time for it, although I should have started two months earlier because then I could have really sold everything I had collecting in my house.  Let's just say that one of the bonuses of my shopping gig was the free gifts that came from beauty purchases.  Beauty item purchases have been curtailed significantly (cannot purchase lots of the popular brands anymore) by the company, so this won't be ongoing.  But for this Christmas, I decided to cash in and earn some more money on all those nice little travel sizes and freebies I so carefully made purchases to qualify for!  Especially since I only use and gift from my own Mary Kay store - what to do with all these samples??  Yes, ebay to the rescue.  It's kind of fun, because I like putting things together to make convenient little gift sets.  And evidently, so do ebay shoppers because everything is selling!  Here are some of the things I've sold.

Just like when I sold clothes in my last spree of ebay selling, I'm getting global buyers.  Kind of shocking the shipping people will pay.  I don't calculate international shipping.  I just enter the weight of the package and specify USPS priority mail and the ebay calculator does all the work.  If it is a small enough package, it can ship in a little flat rate box for about $13 to Europe.  Because of my shopping gig and shipping products to the UK all the time, I know what cannot ship internationally.  Perfume is one of those things.  I specify in my listings that if there is a perfume included in the lot, it won't be shipped outside the U.S.  One of my listings was two perfumes and a lip gloss that all coordinated.  I was super surprised when the buyer was from the UK.  I'm done listing for the holiday.  I have a few auctions that close in the next few days and that's the holiday rush for me.  I've still got loads to sell that I just couldn't get organized for this year.  I'm trying to decide when to list again.  I know from experience that January didn't work too well.  But I've got a few things that might be nice for Valentine's Day, then Mother's Day, maybe year end teacher gifts???

What We've Been Eating vol. 4 - Crackers and Cheese

V will often ask for a "cheese tasting" for lunch.  Or for a bedtime snack.  Fortunately, however, she has been enjoying a very simple lunch request lately: boursin cheese on melba toast.  I can buy the boursins 3 in a pack at Costco, and found the melba toasts there too.  T, on the other hand, enjoys an equally simple yet also refined snack.  To him it is just crackers (as I do the sign for cracker) but really what he wants are the big artisan rosemary crackers made by some local bakeries but also found at Costco from the Panzanella brand.  My kids, sophisticated tastes, but pretty simple nonetheless.

Scripture Power!

I walked into the kids' room one evening last week, ready to help them get into bed for the night...and found two famous characters, diligently studying the book of revelations before bedtime.  My V, what a character herself!

The Bloedel Reserve

The kids and I took an excursion via car and ferry to Bainbridge Island, dogs in tow, to visit the Bloedel Reserve.  It all started in anticipation of visits from family last year.  I bought a Living Social Deal for a membership to the reserve, thinking it would be a fun place to take visitors who wanted a short ferry ride and pleasant destination.  Although I'd never been there, I heard rave reviews from a good friend, J, long ago and have always had a curiosity to visit the place.  Family visitors never made it, and the deal needed to be activated early this month, so off we went on a cool but clear day.  Sadly, the dogs had to stay in the car, but I knew that beforehand and figured they'd at least enjoy the ride and getting out of the house.

Our visit did not disaappoint!  There was a squash scavenger hunt going on and V was on the job from the get go!  Clipboard in hand, she was on the hunt for squash and everything else fascinating.  We barely explored two of the gardens on the reserve, the moss garden and the japanese garden, but we look forward to going back, again and again, and hopefully taking a few of you with us to see more of the extraordinary reserve.

Enjoy our souvenirs!

The Moss Garden

The Reflecting Pool...still hard at work.

Into the Japanese Garden

Thanks for a great visit!  We had a lovely time and can't wait to return.  Why don't you join us!