Treading Water

Every once in a while I start to feel like I'm floundering. Usually it happens about the time that I've had a bit too long of a break from my creative self or when I haven't had enough alone time.

Last week was a splashing, gasping for air and groping for the bottom with my toes kind of week. Between massive toddler meltdowns, a cold that would just not go away and the need to get something new down on paper and posted in TMCPhoto and PeanutButterPie I felt like I'd lost my ability to swim. Thankfully the husband and child let me alone for a few hours on Saturday and I'm back to treading water peacefully or at least treading water well enough to keep my head above water.

If you caught last Fridays post you know that I participated in the Etsy Baby Shower on Saturday. It was a great experience and I'm so please that my designated Mommy loved her painting. I'll be mailing it off on Thursday. I gave her a choice of something already in stock of my shop or a custom painting for her nursery. She opted for a custom painting with bees. She loved all the options I sent her to choose from but picked one as her favourite, I've listed the rest in PeanuButterPie.

While participating in the shower I had a bit of an epiphany. I've decided to eliminate hand made cards from my inventory and focus on doing the Nursery Blessing paintings. I'll continue with cards but I'll have them printed and offer them for a lower price. With the costs of shipping added to the amount of time I spend on each card; I think it makes more sense. Of course any suggestions or comments on this decision are more than welcome.

Shut it! / look at me look at me!

Toddler art is drying on a random wall and will grace next weeks post. Instead I'm going to regale you all with the most charming two phrases my daughter has begun to use on me.

Now in the midst of the trying two's my daughter will now shout at me to "Mommy stop talking!" when she is angry with me for something, denying her ice cream when she hasn't had any of her dinner, say, or possibly when I insist on bedtime when it's actually her bedtime. If I persist in talking she repeats it over and over until I zip my lip (a phrase I am studiously avoiding the use of so that I won't be tempted to fasten a zipper to her mouth so she'll zip it herself) Where she got this oh so adorable phrase is beyond me. I've been wracking y brains to remember if I've asked her to stop talking at any given time and I'm not recalling anything.

My pleas for her to use her words and talk to me were apparently not totally ignored. Now, if I'm on the phone with my Mom or in the middle of a task that requires that she is not the center of attention; a place she knows is rightfully hers. I get the yelled demand to "talk to me Mommy! Talk to me!" This one's easy to deal with. All I have to do is acknowledge her, tell her I'm talking to Grandma, making dinner or sopping up the pee pee accident that she just had and she's mollified.

In some cases the Stop Talking's and the Talk to me's are demanded in the same sentence. On days like this I pray to all Gods that the well of patience that I've dug won't run dry, that the words I choose next time around will be better chosen and that I do better tomorrow

Decking our halls

As the 25th of November falls in the middle of the week this year, we are decorating our tree today. This is the first year Miranda will help with the decorating. I'm excited about sharing the experience with her and a little nervous about the aftermath.... What if helping to decorate the tree gives her the idea that she can pull on, yank, or knock over the tree at will? It's a very distinct possibility.

I've already started with the pro-active "tell the toddler what's expected" mantra and I'm hoping for the best. I'll keep you posted on how well that's working out. Or if it's a spectacular failure I'll post full descriptions and pictures.

One of our family traditions is to add a new ornament to the tree each year. Because we've decided to do our holidays handmade this year, the new ornament this year is one made by Funktionslust We ordered it last week and it arrived safely in the mail yesterday even prettier in person than it was in the shop. Funktionslust is a fairly new Etsy shop opened in May 2008 and is chock full of lovely glass pieces from abstract sun catchers to gorgeous pendants and earrings.

My personal favourites are Abstract Distraction no.3, Abstract Distraction no.1 and Mossy Pendant and her tree ornaments are little works of whimsy to add to your holiday decor. We'll be treasuring our blue tree ornament for years to come.