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December 27, 2006
Color Play with Joy
Eden got a helium tank for Christmas. I also discovered the color accent effect that Cat has been playing around with. Here's a video with the effect that I just love. Kinda sums up the magic of our every day holiday.
Eden and grandpa with yellow balloon.
Josiah, Joel with green.
community | By | 10:33 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 26, 2006
better than barfing
I am the unstoppable Mom. I mean all mom's have to be somewhat unstoppable. Mom doesn't get a day off. I remember those Robitussin ads where mom is in bed and dad is helpless. I feel kinda like that. Right now Joel, the kids, my parents, my brother his wife Sarah and their baby girl Joanna are all at the CDM. I thought I was getting better and yesterday I did the combo of pain relief and herbal cold/flu ward off tabs. I was a feverish zombie through 2 episodes of Project Runway and stumbled up to bed shivering and zonked. Great fun was had no matter what. Joel stayed up til almost 3am playing with his new Creative Zen. Josiah and Eden try with all their might to share the toys they were given.
Eden and Joanna in their matching hats
Josiah on an adventure with his new binoculars
Ah Munna Eachoo!! Threadless T for Jos
Eden in her tap-shoes
Here I am with my present. Joel and Cat got me a painting from my fellow KSU student Michelle Scott. She did a whole series called for a show "About Face" and I think they are very good. Quite a surprise, it's really beautiful.
mommy time | By | 1:39 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 23, 2006
what's going on
Makin' cookies, hearding babies, eating, laughin', love. Happy times.
family | By | 12:25 AM | TrackBack
December 20, 2006
SPC Red #2
Driving back from Dalton yesterday with the kids. We all deserved a Dum Dum. Nothing sold there, bummer, I don't think they advertised very well.
I didn't see that many sold stickers. Signe had some work there, man, I love her stuff. If I had $500 I would take one home. But last night after trucking around Home Depot looking at what kinda color scheme will work for our new kitchen, we came home and found that the Bird Pod has been purchased! Merry Christmas Bird pod owners! I thought it would never sell! Everyone complimented me up and down and no one was buying it, until now. Yeah. Now I can buy more presents for Joel.
Self Portrait Tuesday | By | 2:50 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 18, 2006
Why the web is great
Thanks to J-nette I found another tasty gadget. Everyone try it!!
Call 1 641 955 7500 then punch in this code *2592542
I'll give you a topic to discuss amoungst yourselves: Creative Arts Guild of Dalton has my piece Good Morning on their site for the Holiday Show! Yeah! Any press I get is awesome. I'm going to print the page right now!
| Get Your Own Voice Player | Manage |
community | By | 9:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
What to do? What to do?
We sit down to dinner tonight, which is the traditional pancakes, and Dad brings up how he is willing to make Josiah's breakfast in the morning. I told him that unless someone is sitting with Josiah eating he'll just mill around anyway. So Dad said he'll just turn on the TV for Josiah until we're up and moving. Which isn't very long. Dad said,"It's not Sesame Street that's on, it's some cartoon, ya know, where the animals talk." I just lost it, so funny. Silly Grandpa Jim.
We went down to Marietta this weekend. Joel was training his replacement and we did some Christmas shopping. The kids did have a melt down when we first got there. Josiah wanted his other pillow, he talked about being afraid of the dark, he was unhappy in general. He had fallen asleep in the car and did not want to be awake at all. Poor Buddy, it makes me sad to hear him cry. These kids don't know how to react to upheaval.
We did got to our favorite Thrift Store on Saturday!! Yeah!! I found a mini white Christmas tree, a whole bag of colorful zippers, three cardigans for me me me, tap shoes for Eden for Christmas and these rockin' big star glasses. can't go wrong with those! I must say, its easy to shop in Marietta. I kinda miss that.
My recent dilema, the thing that is awkward for Joel and I to talk about is me getting a job. He has been suggesting it on and off since Josiah was of a managable age. It's not that I have refused, it just never seems worth it because I have no great job experience. Its never worth it for me to work and pay someone to watch the kids. I admire anyone who can work until 1-2am waiting tables, on their feet, coming home smelling like everything you've served that night. That takes a lot, and I'm trying to wrap my head around doing that. Because that would be the only job that would be worth while, financially. I have been kid-swapping in order to work a day job, and though that wasn't terrible, Lu-Lu is very cute isn't she! It's really exhausting though to not have an everyday pattern thats consistent. And again there is financially the reasons for it all. Joel is at the point where he would rather work 2 jobs himself than ask me yet again to get a job. I wish he wouldn't give up on me. If it weren't for him I would never show my artwork, ever. I don't want to be a disappointing wife. I want to uplift my husband and help him to work less. The kids suffer when they are babysat so much, and we do need extra money. I do not mind working, its fun to escape for a while, but I pay for it big time with crankiness, clinginess, tantrums and fighting. I need a real solution. Tutoring in art will pay a smidge but not enough, unless I had a whole class paying $25 an hour. I can make excuses all day and that doesn't help us, what will help is for my motivation to come back and to get an evening job.
mommy time | By | 1:16 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 15, 2006
Jo Bean is One!
Happy Happy Happy birthday to my only niece Joanna! I love you and am so taken by how different you look than my kids! Can't wait to see you trotting around at Christmas! You are like a hologram where you change from looking like your mom to looking like your dad in a split second! I was glad to hold you in your first weeks and I will be giggly to see you play with your red-head cousins. Good thing you got those big blues or no one would think we were related! Another Ward girl with blue eyes.
Luv Auntie Kate
family | By | 3:15 PM | TrackBack
SPT Red
Oh I am so tired and so over Christmas cookied. Ugh. It was good to go out with Cat last night and chisel away at more presents last night. But dude, Christmas is expensive! I worked a couple days at Lee U this week and it is really fun to be away from the kiddies and be helpful and interact with others, but when I think about my kids while I'm working I remember I really don't want to be handing them off so I can work.
I rolled by the house in progress after work and the insulation was going up, the roof was getting started and there were workers crawling all over the upper porch. Man, its so exciting! I can't wait to have a brand....new.....house! Wow. I then rolled over to Willisons to get the kids. Jos was still napping and Eden was standing 3 inches from Cinderella. Mary Ferris and little Henry were visiting and Jess welcomed me in, "Katie, you want some wine?" "Soooo, it's been one of those kinda days!" I said. It was very fun to meet Mary and have a smidge of down time with the new community that is brewing here in Chattanooga.
Back to the red. This months Self Portrait Challenge is red and this is my only Christmas project to display. I finished the little girl stitchette the other day and have started the little boy tonight. I hope to make little stuffed ornaments/dolls with them. I wanted to make button wreaths, maybe another puff or poinsetta wreath, finish our stockings from last year. I mean there were lots of great Christmas projects out there.
This was a nice therapeutic project though. Its so nice to do something special with my hands while I can spend time with my family.
We had a goofy time with our tree trimming this year. Mom decided that her living room would be too small for them, us and Kirk's family. So Dad took down the French doors and Mom built a wall of boxes dividing the room and we stuck the tree inside. It's kinda wierd, but we have plenty of room and the tree is delightful. The kids and the cat leave the last foot of the tree naked, but it's charming and loaded with traditional goodness. Josiah and Eden had a ball running around the tree farm and watching Grandpa and Papa put the tree up and lights on. We all nogged it up (rum and no rum alike) and listened to a little Sufjan.
I'll have Lu Lu along with my kids tommorow and I'm glad it will be warm so we can hit Ross' Landing playground. Anyone wanna join us?
And this weekend we will go down to Marietta so Joel can train his replacement at Venture Phys Therapy. And, oh yeah, he got in a fender-bender and we will have to pick up the tried and true Camry to replace the Corolla that is not worth fixing. God is good. I feel like my emotions are balancing out and with Christmas right around the corner I feel like life will return to normal state. The contact with familiar friends and places is becoming less of a shock and more just real. I am kinda nervous about taking the kids back down to Marietta. I hope there are no hard separation moments.
Self Portrait Tuesday | By | 1:26 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
December 11, 2006
Finally the Lists
it's dec 11th and i finally got our lists organized. we have a loose amazon list and i have a wist list but here you will find "the lists".
Continue reading "Finally the Lists"
family | By | 5:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 10, 2006
up goes the frame!!
We went to Las Margaritas with Amy and Josh and went by the house site. We've been making this a habit on Sunday's. to our great great surprise the frame is up!! Yeah!! Of course we have no idea how fast or slow the other parts of the building will go but we definately have to pick out stuff to be ready. Trip to Home Depot is definately necessary!
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December 8, 2006
Journey
There is something wonderful about the cold that blesses me every time it decides to visit. It effects my mood and you would think it would be bad, but instead it brings memories. I guess it gets cold here so rarely that this season is not just about Christmas. I think of old friends and old haunts. I think of the many different coats and hats I used to wear. My tried and true JCrew hat is lost and I have no idea what I am going to do with highs in the low 40's so close to Christmas. So I have been creating a Wists list and found some sweet little coats that I would like. But if anyone out there has a recommendation of a great jacket let me know!
I've been in a fog of pessimism lately and I haven't wanted to spill it all out on my blog. I haven't been much of a team player. I got no Christmas projects to share, although I am going to bow to her majesty craft/business goddess Hillary and try some stichettes. Of course the tree will go up on Monday. Maybe I can embroider that fast. Joel is a wonderful man, and he never lets these foggy places take over me. He listens and then reminds me that what we want, we we have, these things are given by God and we need to be joyful about it. After a day of buying back text books from Lee U students, I drove to Live Urban to get more papers signed and get a form to start picking out things like our counter tops and cabinets, what color hard woods etc. I am so not ready to pick that stuff out. I need people to help me!
This is what I did today. Jess is much more resourceful than I. She took my kids to the TN Aquarium on Tuesday and down to Jen's for Christmas cookie madness on Thursday. I took the three to the Library today and if my mom hadn't gone with me we woulda lost one I'm sure. Josiah and Lu Lu get along very well, but they are getting very used to each other and starting to fight like brother and sister. It's a sweet deal to have a trade so nicely, but it is hard work to entertain, contain, nourish and stimulate three little ones. I'm pooped.
I look forward to the near future where I will not be working hours that my children need me and instead I will be tutoring kids in art. Art lessons, can it work? Can I actually make money? God'll do it.
the spirit within | By | 10:46 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
December 5, 2006
strength
For today to not think any more about 'what will I do' and 'what if I don't'.
For love to pour out instead of stress induced tears.
For words to be thought through carefully.
To be more like Jesus.
To get rid of all expectations of myself for creating traditions and just be the person that will create those feelings all by myself.
To be encouragement all day long to those I see and at night to my dear husband.
To pray on the spot because Jesus is right there and wants me to talk to Him.
To believe that great things will come to me.
To be an awesome friend and to start being selfless.
To play with my kids with all my heart and soul.
To realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it comes from the inside out, and in the end beauty that is skin deep does not matter when your laughing.
To finish my Christmas lists.
To cut my boy's out-of-control hair.
To cut through the flurry and find the path that is marked clearly.
To make new friends of old friends (that's a big one guys!)
To remember that surrender is the ultimate form of rest.
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December 1, 2006
Maybe this was made for me
The other night while I spent some QT with Cat, Joel took the kids up the mountain to look at Christmas lights. At Point Park they were tromping around when Joel noticed Eden was lagging behind and staring up at the sky. He asked her what she saw and noticed she was staring at tne very bright moon. The other day at the library, Eden found a book with a large moon on the front and called it a ball. Seems my girl is loving being moonstruck. It's wonderful to re-experience things though the eyes of your children.
I've been trying to make up Christmas lists and they are very short actually. The more kid-stuff you accumulate the less you want to ask for. But I'm slowly coming up with ideas. Eden loves balloons and Joel and I are seriously thinking that we should just get her a big bunch of helium balloons for Christmas, I mean it is Jesus birthday after all! We've never been a family that sings happy birthday to Jesus, but this might be a reason to do so.
I went to get oriented at my temp job at Lee University yesterday. I was stressing myself out so much thinking of going from not working at all to working possibly three days in a row at Lee. Getting the kids out the door by 8:20am max. Basically I've been stressing myself out a lot and I kinda don't know why. Well, being a creative mom and not doing a single project for Christmas sure makes me feel a little lazy and crazy. A haven't painted much and I want so badly to not lose more time. The changes of living arrangements are taking there toll on Josiah I can tell. He's being crankier and being very disobediant. But I have been very impatient too. So impatient.
Today is the first day of December and I am feeling like I need a jumpstart to creativity. It's like a part of me is on pause. It's hard for me to read all these blogger's fun projects without an inner groan. So here's a list of things I'd love to get started ASAP: Jesse tree with the kids, keepsake ornaments for the kids, finish Christmas stockings, Christmas photos/card. This is minimum and on top of getting some serious paint onto my first adoption painting.
Eden loves her some Tumble-Weeds!
A couple things about living in Chattanooga that I've noticed big-time. First of all TN has the worst roads ever!! It's bumpy and lumpy, if TN has a lottery now and has such high sales tax where is the money for good roads? The popular car is the Suburu Outback and popular shoes are Chacos, don't see that so much in the ATL. I went into Art Creations on Frazier today and I usually enjoy that store, their prices are good and I can get everything I need without catalogue ordering. But they have no handicap access so I had to leave the Sit-n-Stand on the front stoop. I was there shopping with 2 kids roaming free grabbing brushes and whacking random bottles of paint and no one came to check me out. I saw about 4 or 5 customers looking at the cheesy gifts in the back but no one was at there to take care of art supplies. I coulda walked out with my Cadmium Yellow Light but I didn't. Instead I walked back to the gift area after almost 10 minutes and said, "Does anyone work here?" That is the voice of a mother concerned that her children will break something, open tubes of paint and spray it across the room. A mother who was keeping a close eye on my stroller outside hoping it was still there. Please! Before the chaos gets worse: Ring up my stuff!! I sufficiently annoyed the manager I hope she realizes that she needs to cater to every kind of customer.
the spirit within | By | 3:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack