it’s a birth-day here at chateau chaos

If you see this goofy, handsome, smart, exhausting, fun-loving boy wandering around, make sure you wish him a Happy Birthday!

cheerfulness for breakfast

I made pancakes for breakfast this morning. I’d added wheat flour so I told the kids they weren’t as high & fluffy as the last ones I made but they’d be a little chewy instead. Nick still had sleeping sand in his ears and misheard me – he though I’d said they were cheerful instead of fluffy and promptly decorated his pancake with homemade strawberry sauce. He told us all he could feel the cheeriness in his belly after he ate.

Yesterday’s desire for change actually spurred me on last night to sit down seriously with my sampler for a couple of “last” hours before picking up a new project and I made enough progress that I was inspired to stick with it today. Hooray for that! I’m this close to finishing it, and probably would’ve finished except I was half a stitch off with the border … grrr. Actually, it’s funny and it cracks Niek up to no end when he catches me frogging my own designs.  This is another (annoying?) sneak peek. Oh my gosh, you guys, I just love how this one’s turning out! I’d love to share the whole thing ….

I also had to go to the local quilting/sewing shop to pick up some backing fabric for Niek’s Valentine’s Day gift. Sigh. Poor me. Downeast Maine may be a little rough around the edges, but we are lucky to have the Gingham shop. Just check out all that sumptuous fabric! As always, I went out with more than I intended to buy, but you can’t really blame me, can you?

To everyone stuck under feet of snow, my thoughts go out to you! I hope winter will release its hold on you soon! Although we haven’t seen any of this dreadful accumulation, we’ve also been affected. Our belongings were supposed to arrive here at the house on Saturday, but the delivery’s been postponed indefinitely because of the poor (nonexistent) travel conditions. My stash and I will have to survive another few days away from each other, boo hoo. But seriously, stay safe and warm out there!!

sharing a word or two

 

Arden has a word or two to share with Punxsutawney Phil about this shadow business.  Arden’s not always the easiest fella to understand, but from what I understand the gist of his speech is as follows:

Phil,  man, it’s C-O-L-D up in here in Maine. Just look at how I have to dress to eat my breakfast - and that’s after Mom’s broken the ice in the sink and started up the woodstove. Whaddya mean you saw your shadow? Jeez, dude, you can just borrow my shades, do the whole gig over again … presto! No shadow! Seriously man, six more weeks of winter? You’re killing me!

But Arden does not intend to steal the limelight of today’s post, despite his dismay over Phil’s prediction. Because today is a very special day for another member of Chateau Chaos … namely, big brother Nick who turns 7 today! Happy birthday, Nick!! Continuing the relatively new tradition of eating our cake and having it, too, breakfast included a tasty bit of Nick’s birthday cake (spice cake with chocolate chips was this year’s choice) before everyone headed off to meet the schoolbus. Nick’s not only celebrating his birthday, but also the loss of another tooth (which he’s trying to show off in this picture). This afternoon we’re heading down to the bank to open his very first savings account. He’s hoping he still has enough teeth in there to get a car when he’s old enough ….

Best wishes to everyone for a fabulous day. As for Phil’s prediction, make your last six weeks of winter sizzle!

nick says goodbye

Today was Nick’s goodbye party at school, and boy was it fun! One teacher had made a wonderful photo collage of all the kids, another made a DVD of all the kids talking about Nick as if they were being interviewed, and the third had arranged a special dance show (performed by classmates). Nick and Arden got to sit up in front for the party and truly felt like big shots. I hope Rowen’s party on Thursday is as entertaining! (Max doesn’t want me showing up at his with my camera, boo hoo.) Here are a few of my favorite photos from the party.

the big Lebowski

Today was Nick’s after-school party and after a year of asking, he finally got to go bowling with all his best buddies.  I cannot claim to be a big fan of bowling – probably due to my utter inability to hit anything I’m actually aiming at, and my rare ability to smell the mildew growing in the bowling alley – but I do love seeing the kids have fun. We started the party at home with cake, gifts, and a wild assault upon scores of balloons I’d blown up this afternoon. I’d also made little treat bags that the kids could wear on their wrists, but frankly after they’d eaten the candy, they quickly lost interest in the bags.

It was a very busy day, even though I was sure I had next-to-nothing to do to prepare for the party. Even after all my experience so far in children’s parties, the amount of time-consuming grunt work that goes into them suprises me every single time. So when the mailman rang the bell, I was kind of like, “Oh another interruption!” I studied the postmark for awhile, knowing it looked somehow familiar but unable to make the connection for an embarassingly long time. (Note to self: Better try that ‘brain trainer’ of Max’s and see if the gray cells are still firing.) I’m not someone who can wait to open a package, so I got right down to business (LOL) and was absolutely blown away by Pokua’s thoughtfulness and generosity. Knowing I’m also a tea lover, she sent me a loose blend of the most delicious tea (and I know, because I brewed a pot on the spot!) and this incredibly beautiful tea mini-sampler. She also sent a beautiful bracelet made from Ghanaian glass beads that I put on as soon as I took the picture. Thank you so much, Pokua, for making me feel a little spoiled and special at a low moment when I really needed it.

Other than birthday related stuff, not much has been going on around here. I did get busy rearranging pictures, and here’s a new view of my Wall of Smalls, aka The Wall of Fame. I’m pretty tickled with it.

Roberta and Pat also let me know that the mail fairy has paid them recent visits. Hooray!

Now I see that I have over an hour before I can go to bed (due to dog walks, which must not be too early … or else!) and I’m wondering if my bleary eyes can find the holes in the linen. I would love to get a few more motifs done on Love of Myn ….

Wishing you well! Thanks for visiting!

the wild man of borneo

He’s hard to keep up with, he’s got a quick temper, he’s competitive to a fault … his smile will light up the darkest day, his laugh will banish any bad feeling, and he’d give away his most prized possession to anyone who asked for it. At the wonderful, exciting, uncertain, and challenging age of 6, Nick (we may not call him Nicky anymore!) has a Romantic Object (a lovely lass with pale skin, light blue eyes, and hair like spun gold), a Wii obsession, and an energy level that approaches terrifying levels. He’s funny, he’s challenging, he’s wild, and he’s big-hearted. He’s also the only one of the kids that people say looks like me. LOL! Anyway, without further ado:

 

Happy Birthday, Nick!

Wishing you a year of wonderful new adventures, good friends, satisfying challenges, and deep belly laughs. You drive me crazy and I love every minute of it!!

so very much…

… to share, to do, to think & dream!

It’s the eve of Nicky’s birthday, so soon I shall be up to my elbows in flour as it is the custom here that the birthday child brings treats for the entire class. Nick’s requested lemon flavored cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I will be interested to see just what I come up with.

As both Nick and Rowen have birthdays this week and we are just coming out of a terribly hectic period, I opted to forego the usual large family & friends party we have every year. I felt a little guilty about it, but my main emotion was overwhelming relief. So, yay for selfishness! Seriously, it will just make it so much easier to enjoy the kids’ special days without becoming totally overwhelmed by all there is to do. Because we’re skipping the family party, we took the kids to visit their Opa and Oma today. Lots of fun was had by all, and the kids were totally wowed by their gifts.

 

Meanwhile, I was being wowed by the temporary loan of this family heirloom darning sampler that was stitched by Niek’s great-great-grandmother. Gorgeous, isn’t it? You’ll be seeing more of this in the months to come before it’s returned. We’ve hung it on our wall for now and are thoroughly in love with it.

And Niek’s mother surprised me by giving me a traditional merklap (sampler) stitched by her mother in 1976. We have regular, if infrequent, contact with Niek’s Oma and are fortunate to also have a stitched gift she made for Nicky shortly after his birth.

Now what’s with all this stitching by other people? Haven’t I been doing any? Well, yes. Yesterday afternoon I got it in my head that I simply had to stitch Niek something for Valentine’s Day after all (I’d planned to make a paper gift this year) and that it had to be something totally original (aka a design of my own) rather than using one of the many utterly delightful Valentine-type charts I already own. So I pulled out my recently-purchased 35 ct mushroom HDF linen (have I mentioned how much I absolutely love her linen?!) and a bagful of HDF silks and … started stitching! The phrase, “Love of myn, my heart is thyn” is one that was used on love poseys around 1900.  I’m using one strand of silk over two squares of linen for an antique look. Am I having fun with it … oh yeah!

where do i keep going?

If you see me wandering around out there, would you send me back home? I just don’t know where I get off to … the time is flying by so fast that I surely must be living two lives at once and am just not aware of it.

My neighbor surprised me to no end when she showed up at my door with a big box from Su, my seasonal exchange partner (lucky me!). Now, I sent Su a wee, tiny ornament. Su, however, showered me with goodness. In addition to the absolutely-perfect-for-me CHS Berries and Pins ornament (just look at that finishing! and you can’t even see the backside, which is also gorgeous!), she sent two cute & funny Santa ornaments, a snowman magnet, two charts, Polstitches fabric, finishing fabric, and loads upon loads of chocolate for the kids. My heavens, woman, your generosity is overwhelming!! I’m humbled. No idea what I’ll do for the spring exchange – I’m just so glad that Su and I decided to continue the year, even though the group is being dissolved.

I must also shout out a heartfelt thanks to Monique who bravely and generously lent me her BOAF Patience chart because I shamelessly begged her for it. It has arrived and I will start it as soon as the holiday stitching is truly complete. Which may be around December 26th. LOL.

I’ve begun cleaning clearing out for Arden’s birthday party on Saturday. (Where does all this stuff come from, and why do I find it so difficult to put it away?) Though perhaps no one will come. I asked Niek 3 weeks ago to please contact his siblings to invite them … guess who shamefacedly admitted this morning that he had not yet done so? Doesn’t matter – I’m cooking up a storm for my last baby’s passage into toddlerhood, and if no one shows up, I will just eat it all myself. :0

Nicky’s begun coming down with something. His current viral infection is, of course, making him more susceptible to anything alse going around and last night he was running a fever and had some tummy/throat pain. We’re monitoring his temp and gave him some children’s pain reliever, and this morning he insisted on going to school. Sigh. I worry too much, I know, but I can’t help it. Fortunately, the doctor just had a look at him on Tuesday regarding the viral infection and said that is fine, so we don’t have to push the panic button (yet).

I’m still working on Little Acts of Kindness. I took it with me to the hospital yesterday, where I had my first MRI. I asked the technician what would happen if I fell asleep during the exam. He laughed and said no one could fall asleep during one of these, as the machine is incredibly loud and at times the whole thing shakes. Guess who fell asleep? I tried to explain that I have four kids and any time I stop moving for more than 10 minutes, it’s lights out but I just got a lot of weird looks on my way out. Anyway, here’s my current progress on that.

I’m also stitching a unicorn for Rowen because of course, I don’t have enough to do. If I don’t finish it for Christmas, it’ll be a lovely birthday gift. I bought the pillow form from Daisy Stitches, shortly before Despina and the shop dropped out of sight. I miss her – she was really nice. But another really nice ONS owner we all know and love is currently having a sale – rush over to see Jenna during her 20% off sale!!

Take care, friends, and make sure you take a bit of time to slow down and enjoy what the season really is all about.

who’s that girl?

Where on earth have the past several days gone? Do I get this time back at some future point? I mean, I think it’s really unfair that the days pass so fast that I don’t even realize they’ve gone by. I guess it has been a little busy. Nicky has given us a scare with some strange swelling in his neck – the third doctor we saw gave us the necessary papers to have a full bloodwork done up on him and we’ll have the results on Thursday, but all the doctors are in agreement that it is almost certainly a virus that isn’t dangerous. (Almost certain is never good enough for me, though, thus the bloodwork.) We also celebrated pakjesavond and bought & decorated our Christmas tree. Oh, and there’s been some stitching. And more delightful mail. Where to start?? What a dilemma!

I’ll start with the wonderful goodies that have come in the mail. My mailman says I’m his favorite customer.

Staci has surprised me with these delightful scissors – they are so light and so sharp! – with a cool little tag that will ensure the other stitcher in the house  doesn’t walk away with them. Staci, these are sure to become a favorite!

And Anna, bless her, has gifted us with a family gingerbread man that I just love-love-love! And she sent delicious chocolate lollies for all the kids (we’ve hidden them in the tree for now, and will enjoy them a little closer to Christmas). Anna, you have been too kind!

And maybe a few stitching pictures?

I sent Su her seasonal ornament exchange, which she assures me she likes. This is Peace by Sisters and Best Friends, stitched in my choice of HDF silks.

I’ve also finished the stitching on all the kids’ ornaments … now on to the finish-finishing!

And I’ve been busy stitching a quilt square for the breast cancer group. The recipient loves gardening and reading, so I’ve fused two LHN designs. I’m really enjoying this one!

Are you bored yet? Should I stop, or go on? Awww, who knows when I’ll be able to blog again, so here we go with pakjesavond and tree decorating. You may be excused if it’s just too much!

Pakjesavond was a lot of fun – lots of yummy treats for the kids, gifts galore, and even something for the dogs.

I love decorating the tree – it’s one of my favorite parts of the holiday season!

Whew, give yourself a pat on the back if you made it this far!

the good, the bad, and the ugly

Another (rainy) day is upon us – but not just any rainy day. Arden’s alert in his playpen because he knows something’s up.

Is it his sister’s pink-striped hair? (Picture taken yesterday during a rare period of glorious sunshine.) No …

It’s the day Nicky gets his cast off! Here’s Nicky, waiting for his for Daddy to get him over to the hospital so they could remove the cast. (Niek tells me that Nicky totally freaked out when the woman walked in with the saw to remove his cast – he thought they were going to cut his leg off!)

And here is Nicky’s foot as it now appears. Ugly, huh? And very sensitive. The doc said the break is healed, but psychologically, Nicky’s  not quite ready to go back to life as normal. There’s still an open wound where the wheel spokes went into his ankle (under the bandage), the skin is very tender because it’s been totally covered up for nearly a month, and the darn thing is just so ugly that Nicky’s convinced it must be horrifically painful. So we’re still carrying him from one place to the other in hopes that in another day or maybe two, his usual level of activity will overcome his trepidation about using the foot.

I’m going to duck out now, with apologies to everyone whose blog I haven’t read or commented on. It’s just been … a lot. Fingers and toes all crossed that things will calm down, order will descend, and life will return to being full of fun. Thank you for coming to visit!