New table markers

Coming up is MLK day and February is Black History month. These are for the bakery.

Christmas

Here are some pictures of Christmas.

Wreath - first attempt

It certainly is true that one shouldn't shake hands with a spruce. However, spruce boughs make beautiful wreathes. Dylan helped me out by fetching extra wire and delivering a monologue about garbage trucks while I worked.

The first picture is Dylan with our old wreath. It's plastic, but looks pretty on the door.

Dylan took most of the other photos himself.

Cerulean Blue Soft Dog

I painted this doggy one day. I was tired of looking at the blank canvas on the wall. I didn't put much effort into it, but it's kind of charming. I'm wondering... should i paint over it? Is it worth selling? i have no attachment to it. It could be cute in a baby's room....

So Slow

So, I've been really bad about keeping up my blog. I've been in a rut. However, I have been creative at home lately. i will post some pictures soon of my recent creations. I made some table signs for the bakery, just for fun.

On another note, Dylan had a good Halloween. I think he enjoyed giving out trick-or-treats more than getting them. I'm thinking of making an Advent Calendar for him for Xmas - just for fun.

Here is also a picture of one of my "Calavera Scorceras"

Balloon Animals

I was staring at these instructions while I was eating my soup today, and I have to imagine that every parent cringes a bit when they see their child wielding a balloon "sword". Something about it just looks wrong.

More Fun for Dylan

Phase 3: To Boldly Go and Explore all 4 Year old Activities

Dylan had a grand time checking out the local park with Grandma Jackie. The car was particularly exciting!

Phase 2: Airplane! or Good as Gold

So, for the first leg of our flight, the airline decided to seat us all separately! Luckily, Dylan was seated across the aisle from me. Mike sat a few rows back, but we switched off at the end. I was panicking inside when I realized our situation, but Dylan was seated next to another boy, named Jack, who was just about the same age! Jack and his mom told Dylan how exciting flying would be, so Dylan figured out his seat buckle and strapped himself in. As the plane was taking off, I reached over to hold his hand from across the aisle. But, Dylan was a pro, and wasn't very scared at all!

He and jack had a grand time playing games together, and it all went well despite the stewardesses asking Jack's mom if Dylan wanted a soda. She pointed over to me and I waved "yeah, I'm his mom!" The stewardesses seemed confused about our seating arrangement as well.

But, as Grandpa would say, Dylan was "good as gold."

On the second leg of our flight from Denver to Detroit, Mike asked some nice girls if they wouldn't mind switching and happily, we were all able to sit together.

Trip to Detroit: Phase1

So,I've been remiss in posting events of our trip to the 313. So, here are some updates. Dylan was great for the most of the trip to Portland. However, just before reaching the city, he was begging to "please go home!" Luckily, Steve was nice enough to give us a ride to the airport, and so, bolstered by a grilled cheese sandwich at Bunk and some excitement from riding in Steve's fancy car, Dylan was ready for the next phase: Airplane.

Motown

We're getting ready for our trip to Detroit. I hope we can check out the Heidelberg Project when we're there.

Bad Hair

Have you ever noticed how quickly people say "I like your haircut!" when it's actually really awful. I have never had so many people say that to me until now. Ah, well. It'll grow out eventually.

For the Record...

Today is the next sunny day that we've had since I last posted our canoe pictures. We literally would not have seen the sun once between then except for the day that I took Dylan to Forest Grove. Today is beautiful, but so many gray days are not healthy!!!

And Real Soccer

Same day... canoe day, Dylan really wanted to go to the real soccer fields. We had lots of fun.

Canoe!

Today was a beautiful day. Much needed. If I could eat sunshine, I would! We went to Coffenbury Lake to rent a canoe. Dylan had his first canoe trip -and probably my second. Mike was a great help- giving me lots of tips about how to help him steer.

Zoccer!

These are some funny pictures that Mike took of Dylan's game "Zoccer". Grandpa picked it up at a garage sale, and Dylan loves it.

Dylan's First Movie

On a better note, Mike and I took Dylan to his first movie at the theater. We saw Toy Story 3. He did pretty well too. Stayed in his seat -for the most part- and didn't talk too much. He kept wanting us to move forward, though. So we ended up craning our necks in the front seat. He was also very interested in the projector booth. All in all, a good time!

Swamps of Sadness

The grey blanket hasn't lifted in two days. Good bye, sun. Combine that with problems at work, lack of energy and worry, it's enough to make me want to give up - just like Artex. It's been one of those days. At least I got a few hours to work it out on the cello today. thanks, Mike

More Zoo Trip

Zoo Trip

We took Dylan to the Zoo on Monday. We met up with Naoyuki, Yoshie, Reon and Isai (my spelling is probably off) for a fun day. Traffic was awful, but otherwise it was a good time for all. Ironically, the "dinosaur exhibit" was the most memorable for the kids. We had to keep reminding Dylan that they were just pretend. Reon was a bit concerned about some of the dinosaurs too. But, in the end, they thought it was awesome!

Kitty Painting Sold

I decided to sell the Kitty painting. I made sure to get Mike's permission first, because he loves the cats so much. I was happy to sell it to Sue Skinner. I found out afterward that Karmen wanted the painting as well. Oh, well, I'll just have to paint more!

Just Let Me Lie Down- My Back Will Fix Itself

I did something to my sciatic nerve in my back yesterday and so I was hobbling around like an old woman. After going to the pool and applying BenGay, I'm feeling better. Much like Hercules, I just want to lie on the floor all day.