Making kitty proof ornaments for our Christmas Tree

Star for top of Christmas Tree

Here are some pictures from our ornament making session last night. There was a lot of blood, sweat, tears and glitter glue. The star he's working on is for the top of the tree. We are in my very cramped studio. I still haven't gotten the larger room ready to turn into a studio. Actually, I'm taking over the whole upstairs and keeping this yellow room I'm going to call my "Drawing Studio" because I have a drafting table in it that was my dad's. I'll use the other room for mixed media maybe. I'm not sure yet. I don't know yet if it will even work, but we'll see. See my studio pictures here.

apparently it needed more glitter

Tada!

Well it got ugly before it ended but that's life with a four year old. He's in time out as I write this... haha...

We made more ornaments today and used yet even more glitter and put up the ornaments that had dried from last night. They won't win any contests but we had fun and the memories will last a lifetime, but the ornaments may not last the season with the kittens. I'll just have to take more pictures.

I thought no better the day to start this back up again. It may be sporadic, but oh well, it's here today :)

"This Artists Observations of the Day"

Feeling of the day: relieved (I don't have to get out in the cold!)

I'm grateful for: glitter glue

I am wearing: purple and blue

I thought about today: things I can do once the holidays are over (sheepish grin)

I miss: carefree living

Best thing I did today: Put up ornaments on Christmas tree that we made together

Today I visited: ArtsyShark - Own your identity as an artist

OH NO! Not A Snowday!!!!!!

This is me going outta my mind

Today is not a proud day for me. One day I actually thought I would be this cool mom for my kid and like all the fun things that I thought was great when I was a kid and celebrate that fun with him. But today I think I found out that I am not going to be that cool mom. I am going to be the mom that loses it. I may be turning out to be that mom that is barely keeping it together with nothing but chocolate, a lock on the bathroom door and knowing I've got a few Xanex in a little sandwich bag from a friend in my bedroom. I may be the mom that my son will have to visit in a little rubber room. Let me tell you about my day today starting with last night.

It started last night when I got the call that there would be no school because of the winter storm that came through on Sunday. Great. I never thought in all my life that No school would be a real bummer but I have reached that day. I have to admit that the wee bit of time that I get to myself 3 times a week has been a saving grace from the rubber room. We were out yesterday in the mess and getting this and that and I told Asher that we would put the Christmas tree up when we got home if Daddy would help get the boxes out of the attic. He was elated. It was a bit treacherous and it wasn't ten minutes after we got home that Daryl got a call from a buddy that he was off the road and needed help. So I had to schlep that crap down from the attic myself. I start getting the tree up and fluffed up and he's dying to help. Nothing he can really do that doesn't require me to re-do. Then the lights, 2 hours later he's flopping around, getting into stuff and generally getting on my last nerve because he's tired and hungry and so am I. I had to stop to make a late sandwich for us and then bath and bed for him and shower for me and collapsing on the couch about 11:30 pm. The husband still not home and conveniently missed all the excitement.

So today after picking up the tree off the floor for the umpteenth time I yelled (at the TOP of my lungs) "THAT'S IT! We are NOT putting ornaments on the tree this year!!!" I may even end up taking the thing down. I'm so aggravated between Asher messing around with the lights and the kittens climbing in it and Asher putting the kittens in the tree... it already is a mushed up mess. The kittens have even pulled the plugs out of the outlets! I'm surprised they haven't been shocked yet. It's a mess. Now Asher is following me around everywhere asking when are we going to decorate the tree and then screaming "you don't love me anymore!" when I tell him we're not. Sing with me... "you're a mean one... Mr. Grinch". Now that I've calmed down a tiny bit, I'm having major first course of Mommy Guilt with a side of crow eating because I'm thinking of making ornaments this year out of construction paper and glitter and just letting Asher go wild. If the cats tear 'em up, so be it.

I haven't even mentioned all the cat poop I've cleaned up today and the pile of vomit under a table in the basement, a dog going in and out of the house with snowy muddy paws and cleaning up after her. Oh and Asher and the kittens causing mayhem with all the boxes laying out with Christmas stuff in them that I'll have to schlep back up to the attic. I've already threatened to take the tree down after the last You don't love me episode and told him "I'm taking the tree down if I pull the cats outta here one more time and Santa won't come here if we don't have a tree!" He just scowls, and so do I. It's a battle of wills in this house and I think I'm losing my mind. Do they still make Calgon? The rubber room is sounding better and better.

And the Winner is...

I want to thank everyone who entered my very first give-away! I wish I had the extra money sitting around to send everybody who entered a prize! But there can only be one winner for this giveaway and the winner is... with no further delay... by a randomizer... STEPHANIE CORDER of Dragonfly Design Studios! Congratulations Stephanie! I hope you enjoy my Blue Santa and all the little goodies I'm sending along with him :)

I had a lot of fun with this little giveaway and I think I'll be doing another one before too long. So if you didn't win this time, I hope you keep coming back to my little corner of the blog world here and enter next time. If you really, really, really are bummed you didn't win my Blue Santa, you can purchase him as an ACEO here at my Etsy Shop and I'll give you a 25% discount if you just enter the code luckyme25 at checkout. This coupon code is good thru December 25, 2010 and good for anything in my shop.

Thanks again for entering and congrats again to Stephanie! Have a great weekend everyone.

Snowmen Gourds!

White Snowgourd

Here are the cute little snowmen I told you about Sunday. Aren't they the cutest little guys?! Oh I wish I could take the credit for these. They are made from gourds! I bought these from a super nice gal, Lori Allen, of Carmi Illinois. She was at Christmas in New Harmony and I hope she did well. Her pieces were all so nice. These snowmen accommodate a battery powered tea light to light them from within and they are level on the bottom to stand up perfectly. She carves out designs on them and also has some that she wood burns on. See her website www.gourdsbylori.com for more of her designs. She also makes bowls, baskets, vases, birdhouses and more!

Snowgourd buddies

Adorable!

I originally bought one for me and one for a "dirty Santa" gift, but they look so cute together that I think I'm keeping them both for myself! I know, I'm a grinch for keeping all the presents. I'll find something else, this time maybe I ought to buy something I don't like... haha yeah right.

Oh, if you don't know the "Dirty Santa" gift exchange, here's how we do it: Each person buys a gift appropriate to their gender and wraps it up pretty and it goes under the tree without a tag other than it's for a male or female. We take turns opening up the gift, boy girl, boy girl style. When the first girl opens a gift she keeps it by her until the next girl's turn. When it's the next girls turn, she can open up a gift, or she can go "steal" the already open gift from the other girl, then that girl gets to pick another unopened gift. It's a lotta laughs. Last year we had a downright feud going for a red leather purse!

Kitty Update! The little beasts are still inside... I've had to bite my lip a few times. I'm still having some poop issues here and there and I found my mop bucket full of pee the other day. I'm still giving them a chance, who wouldn't? Look how cute they are. And it's sooooooo cold outside. I'm such a sucker.

Asher and Thunder, both happy

Ready to roll