is your house on fire clark?

No Aunt Bethany, those are Christmas lights...
Our Christmas lights are no where near as plentiful as the Griswold's, but it's our first year ever decorating our house for the holidays and I'm really psyched to be able to look out of the window and see pretty Christmas lights.

We dressed up Estella like a girl for Thanksgiving...she looks so damn cute in a little dress that I took about a thousand pictures...clearly her tolerance was running out.

Walter and Estella had a little daddy/daughter DJ time also.

Walter was on vacation, and has just headed out to work for the first night this week. I've been spoiled having lots of help with Estella and not having to cook dinner. I've also been able to sneak away a couple of times to get some work done. Estella's book is almost done, and I just finished up a custom Fritter earlier today.

All good things must come to an end and it's back to reality for me now...is it too early to start the countdown until Christmas break?

And something extra today...just 'cuz she's cute!

ssstuff

The snow has come! It seems that we'll have an early winter this year. I swear that some years we don't have snow until Christmas...not so this season. As I sit here typing, it's spitting some nasty rainy snow...lovely.
In honor of a nasty day, and a cranky child...English muffin pizzas for lunch! If I serve this wholesome and delicious meal to Estella, I'm guaranteed a good half hour of quiet eating, and today I could use the quiet.
I'm stressed. I could list a thousand reasons why but I won't and PLEASE don't ask...


I feel like I have mountains of different jobs, errands and work to do and it's all closing in. I have lists of things to do and the lists just seem to be getting longer. I should be doing something useful right this minute seeing that blogging is not one of the items on my list. I'll get to it all. I know I will, but knowing I'll eventually get it all done doesn't make getting it started any easier.


I went to the day spa yesterday for a haircut and massage. I made sure to cut off enough hair to donate to Locks of Love. Basically what that means is that I have no hair!
And who knew, my hair is curly! Those of you who have known be for many years, know that my hair may be many things, but curly just isn't one of them. Yet more proof of what pregnancy does to your body!


It was nice to have almost a whole day to myself...it's been too long. I want more! I also NEED more. My masseuse basically laughed out loud when I told her how long it'd been since my last massage. I've also been so stressed and tightly wound for so long that I wasn't really able to relax and enjoy the massage. I could physically feel my body resisting the relaxation...how pathetic is that?


I guess it's all a good reminder that I need to take care of myself too, even if it means sacrificing somewhere else.


Anyways, I'll stop complaining now and wish you all a

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Umm, yeah

My aunt took this picture when we were in NJ last month and I had to share it...this basically sums up Estella - a nut job! Is that mean to say about your child? Well, either way, it's true.
Estella has been a force to be reckoned with this week. Non-stop whining, screaming, clinging, holding...and now today a fever of 103. I'm not sure if it's just her age, or not feeling well, but this week has me thinking that maybe I'm seriously in for it when the "terrible twos" thing hits.

Some holiday themed work in progress...trying out something different...so far successful.

This picture basically sums up where I'd like to be right now.

Peanut gets very excited for hot laundry, runs to the couch for it to be dumped on her and then burrows her way in...such a sweet Nut.

I would love to bury myself in some hot laundry right about now. First off, I'm cold. Second, life has decided to make me stressed and a bit beat down this week. It's just one of those times that will eventually pass like all of the others have, but I'd much rather hide in a pile of hot clothes than stay out here in the cold and have to face it.

On a lighter note...check out my (famous) brother here.

I breed maids!

I should be paid millions of dollars to breed little children who love to clean. Not only does she vacuum, but she does the dishes too! She loves to do the dishes so much that we have huge temper tantrums when she's asked to get down off of the chair she's dragged all the way into the kitchen to do said dishes...And I wonder why my glasses are mangled...
So, these three girls are completed and (hopefully) will be in the shop soon.

There are individual pictures of them here.

I've been spending so much time experimenting with these three, that I'm a bit tired of Fritters at the moment. I have lots of new ideas in my head, but I'm going to take a mini break so as to not get frustrated if my ideas meet with failure. Instead, I'm back to work on Estella's name book for Christmas. I had the brilliant (add eye roll and heavy sarcastic tone to that one) idea of adding quilted borders to each page, so what could have been nearly done, has become the bane of my existence. Luckily, I have no social life so I've got lots of time to get it done...and it'll look all pretty-like when I'm done.

what can i say...

...the girl loves to vacuum! Someday, when I assign vacuuming as a chore, she may not find it quite as much fun. We need a new vacuum...ours is super loud and whiny, the wheel-caster-roller-thing on the bottom is broken so it's hard to push, and since we only have one rug in the house, we don't really need such a ginormous piece of household machinery. I want one of those little, lightweight ones, or even better, one that'll vacuum for me!

This is Estella's own composition...

I guess she's a typical child...she "talks" all day long on her phones, saying "hi" and all sorts of names, and when she gets a real phone up to her ear, she's suddenly mute. Lately, she's been talking to "Gamma" on her phone...the newest name in her repertoire.

And now for my own composition I'd like to present "I Have a Headache":

I need new glasses. The money that was supposed to buy me new glasses is resting peacefully in the Atlantic. My glasses have reached a new level of pathetic, and fall off if I turn my head too quickly. I have a headache because I don't wear my glasses, because if I lean over, they fall off. Basically what it comes down to is that if anyone was toying with the notion of buying me a gift for my birthday or Christmas, I need money for glasses and an eye exam. I know...I'm using my blog as a shameless request for gifts...sorry.

And, just to prove I'm not full of it, some legs in progress.

back from the Jers

The trees in New Jersey are camouflaged. It's probably some sort of pollution or tree disease, but the trees that lined the Boulevard are very cool. Some of the others had more camo spots and colors, but I just happened to be parked next to this one. Anyone know why that happens? No bark, just spots.
It was a good couple of days away...not particularly restful, but nice to get away and see my grandparents. My Grandpa is doing well. I wasn't really able to visit him because Estella wasn't allowed in his hospital room, but I was able to get in a couple of quick visits.

We had a nice visit with my Grandma one morning. Estella showed her all of her new dance moves (including the Worm) and had fun walking the halls holding hands with her Great-Grandma. They're very cute together. The oldest and youngest of my (immediate)family...95 and 1!

Like I said, a good visit, but combined with daylight savings, I'm totally exhausted!

I've been able to get some more Fritters done and started...pics soon! Walter took Estella to the Coop tonight and I had over an hour with no interruptions! It's the little things that make me happy these days! I actually was cursing myself earlier because of my dinner choice. If I'd stop making labor intensive/time consuming dinners, I'd have so much more time to myself. I cooked and chopped through Estella's entire nap. There really is something to be said for PB&J for dinner...maybe tomorrow.

I 'll close with a sleepy girl on Grandpa's couch! So cute!

Oh, thanks everyone for asking, but Estella did not dress up for Halloween. Between the move and going away, Halloween took a back seat. I'm sure next year she'll be demanding that I make some crazy costume...I'll take lots of pictures!