Sometimes moments in life can be scrumptious (skrump'shes), adj. extremely pleasing, especially to the taste, delectable ♥
When a button falls off, you can simply sew it back on, if you know how to sew. It's really quite simple, I think it should be taught at age 4 or 5 to all children, using:
Olivia sewed a small pillow yesterday...her first project! We need more stuffing. I would like to get something besides the polyester fill available at most stores...any suggestions on where to get a soft natural fill?
We celebrated Christmas (which we call Western Christmas) with my husband's family yesterday, Sunday Dec. 25th. Rob's grandma here is 83. His other grandma is 101...both are doing okay, using their walkers to get around.
We opened all of our gifts in the morning and then went to church. Hannah got 2 new dresses for her 18" doll, meet Jessica Ann. 
Olivia got Tintin books and a wood mannikin. I gave Rob a pair of leather slippers from LLBean and he got me fabric to sew with...
We will celebrate the Nativity of Christ with my family on January 7th (which IS Dec. 25th on the old calendar).
9:30am Saturday we got to the ski slopes in Indiana. We stayed until they closed at 4:30pm, taking a break at 12noon to eat the lunch we packed (smoked salmon, bread, clementines). 
Walking in ski boots is so hard!
Rob joined the Army a month after September 11, 2001...and left for basic training that November. Hannah was a baby then, but we were really struggling financially (we both got bachelors degrees in fine arts), so this seemed "right" for us in so many ways. It was something to do for a steady income and after the attacks on our country, Rob really wanted to help America in some way. This place we love...and call home.
We moved May 2002 to Fort Stewart, Georgia...in January 2003 Rob left for Kuwait and then drove in his tank to Iraq. I didn't hear anything for him for a month...he was on his way to Baghdad...had some serious missions. We found out I was pregnant with our 2nd daughter just before he left. It was a very emotional time for me, but I had a good support network, made lots of friends since we lived on-post, and my parents came down to help out a week before Olivia was born. We were very fortunate that his captain let him leave, we really didn't know what was happening...and he came home just a week before Olivia arrived!
Then, he went back to Iraq in January 2005. He came home Dec. 23, 2005 for good!!! Hannah was 4 and Olivia was 2. He told us of his days in the hot dry desert, the sand in everything, working hard as a track vehicle mechanic, waiting to come home. His 4 year contract with the Army was up. So glad to have him home!
I just finished reading this book that my friend, Charlotte, gave me...an excellent, sad, yet moving and hopeful story of a boy from Afghanistan. It's based on a true story! The kindness of strangers is a blessing...
We're trying to wrap up our homeschooling today...so we can take a few days off. Our kitten, Velvet, however provides some distraction. 
Notice how Hannah and Olivia have gotten good at ignoring her while trying to work on their lessons...I love how she perches atop the back of the chair! It gives her the best viewing spot out the window...and Lusy also likes to look out there, too.
I hope for some snow! We have been planning on going skiing Saturday December 24th.
I crocheted a shawl out of some gray wool I got in either New Mexico or Arizona this summer. Unfortunately, she didn't like it, and tried to get it off and got her foot stuck in it...so I helped her out.
Last night, I finished a wonderful book, Angelina's Bachelors, filled with wonderful recipes and a tender story...that made me realize how blessed I am indeed, to have a husband and 2 children...and 4 pets, and this one (in the photo above) is laying eggs!
Setting up the timer and taking a family photo...
We wanted to have Lusy and Velvet in the picture...thought about having Clementine and Nutmeg in the picture, too, but it would be too much to get all 8 looking at the camera smiling...without us looking frazzled. 
All of our pets get along nicely, though.
Now, which one do you think we should use for a Christmas card? I'm thinking about cropping one of them (I don't want our shoes in it).
Yesterday I went to a Greek church for their Saint Nicholas day service. I have been there before (for the funeral of my friend's Irene's mother last year and for their festival). I got to spend more time inside the church after the service and took some photos...
A woman donated $500,000 to have the mosaics of Jesus, Mary and the 4 evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke John) along with numerous other saints...so a team from Italy came in and worked on it for 5 months, the result is breath-taking...the photos don't do it justice, as you can't see the gold glittering, looking like stars, as it may appear in heaven.
St. Barbara (my mom's patron saint), St. Theodore (my sister is probably going to name her baby Theodore when he is born, due next month) and St. Paraskeva, above.
And there are also stained glass windows, which are very nice, my favorite little one was this (rooster or hen, I'm not sure)...
My cousin, Zoya, posted this picture of a chicken from Shelburne, Vermont...and I had to share it, too...was a cute sweater, I wonder how long the chicken wore it. Shall I knit or crochet a shawl for my 2 chickens?
We read a book every morning together (if you read my previous post...40 books in 40 days, but you could do a countdown just for December). I'm reading Alexander McCall Smith's Corduroy Mansions, which is okay, but I really love his No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books. I've read all of those, which take place in Botswana, and look forward to his next one, the 13th in this series, which is due out April 2012.
Today begins the Nativity fast for us...40 days from now is December 25th on the old calendar (which looks like January 7th on the new calendar, but it's still 2011 in our church calendar).
One of my favorites is Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Have you read that one? It's about a little mouse who lives in a house and finds a nice bed (in the manger they have set up). Mortimer takes the baby out of the manger and sleeps there...when he hears the family reading the story of Jesus, how He didn't have a place to sleep, he decided it was better for the baby Jesus to sleep there and he would find another bed...and that's when he finds the gingerbread house!
Then, we had more guests (Anthony, Joanna and Ephraim) stay the night after they left...on the way home to New York, they'd spent Thanksgiving with their grandmother in Indiana.
Olivia is also learning how to play, now. Here she is playing the C chord. So, now I'm looking for a good ukulele lesson book. Any suggestions?
How do you like these glasses? They're old jars (oh, have I told you how much we love the Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe's?), I washed them and crocheted a cover...now they are illuminated with tealights.
I know, it's not even Thanksgiving, but I am preparing for Christmas, too. I'm sure most of you are, by either making gifts or cards, or if you're buying gifts you have to budget, it's not best to buy at the last minute.
I have been gathering the books in our house that have to do with the Nativity of Christ, along with some snowy ones that are particularly fun, even a couple with Santa (although we don't do Santa, just St. Nicholas) only if the story is really funny (like Ian Falconer's Olivia Helps with Christmas and the wordy & poetic Eloise at Christmastime) or there is a good message. We'll open one each day and read it together in the morning. Inspired by Babyccino.
My favorites are:
...as playdough. It's not good for you to drink, in my opinion.
I'm crocheting a circle blanket...and reading Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads book...I'm learning so much about "proofing" (that you can let your bread rise for 1 to 12 hours) and that your dough should be tacky or sticky. I confess when I make a yeast bread, I want to knead it and keep adding flour until it doesn't stick to my hands. Uh oh. 
And I've been making lots of cards. Visit my etsy shop to see more of them!
I played a game of online Scrabble for the first time ever this past week...with my mom and sister in Canada. AND I won. Beginner's luck? I got the Z and J. They're worth a lot of points. I love playing Scrabble (well, any word game...have any of you played Jotto?) in real life, too. 
This past Friday night, I went to one of the art studios and set up a table with other artists...I sold my papier mache birds and cards. The one with glasses had to have a book. My mom ended up buying this one from me.
I want to live a simple life:
Yesterday, we spent a few hours with my parents, raking leaves, jumping in them, hiding in them...and ended up staying for dinner. I wish I'd brought my camera. 
For those of you who have been following the story of my dad and his battle living with Parkinson's disease, he's been doing better lately. He went for a bike ride alone on Saturday, 2 miles...and was fine, until he came home, fell in the driveway, my mom said that the two next door neighbors rushed over to help him out...he gashed his forehead right by his eyebrow and really should probably get 5 stitches, but I'm sure he will heal, if there's a scar, it's one to be proud of... I admire him for riding his bicycle so much! 
I love to ride my bike, too.
