Less than a week.

Well, Jane is not born yet. She is due next friday. So, in the meantime I am painting every single day. I have 5 of 7 commissions finished, and the other 2 are nearly done. That is all thanks to my mother who arrived on Monday to help with the baby. Right now she is just taking care of the boys and cooking meals so I can paint. I am getting a healthy dose of painting time, and I love it!

Here is a little animation that the boys and I enjoy watching:

“Fische und Schiffe” by German animator Axel Broetje. It recently won the 2007 Adobe Design Achievement Award. Congrats, Axel.

Pumpkin party.

Our trip to the pumpkin patch was so much fun. Miles found the prefect little pumpkin and named him Adam. Saturday night we went to Theresa‘s house for a pumpkin carving party, and while Jonathan carved our angry-eyed jack-o-lantern, Miles and Henry painted Adam. First they painted him yellow and later red. I think tomorrow we will paint some facial features on him.  Henry also picked out a pumpkin which I later painted as a quick still life.

Jane has not been born yet, and tomorrow my parents will come into town to help with the boys when she is born. So, we are all excited. Also, today I was delightfully surprised when the good people of St. Andrew Antiochan Orthodox Church had a baby shower for me after morning worship service. Wow! It was fantastic. Thanks so much!

Gifts $5 to $20.

Christmas shopping part two. Check these out:

Russian Ark – Dvd

Russian master Alexander Sokurov has tapped into the very flow of history itself for this flabbergasting film. Thanks to the miracles of digital video, Sokurov (and cinematographer Tilman Buttner) uses a single, unbroken, 90-minute shot to wind his way through the Hermitage in St. Petersburg–the repository of Russian art and the former home to royalty. Gliding through time, we glimpse Catherine II, modern-day museumgoers, and the doomed family of Nicholas II. History collapses on itself, as the opulence of the past and the horrors of the 20th century collide, and each door that opens onto yet another breathtaking gallery is another century to be heard from. The movie climaxes with a grand ball and thousands of extras, prompting thoughts of just how crazy Sokurov had to be to try a technical challenge like this–and how far a distance we’ve traveled, both physically and spiritually, since the movie began.–Robert Horton

This is a beautiful movie for those who are interested in Russian history and amazing cinematography. The music is wonderful also. Russian Ark is available at Amazon for $14.99.

Green apple mini shoulder bag

This little sweater bag comes was once a beautiful sweater which was felted, then designed and created into a bag. It is the perfect size, big enough to fit all your essentials at 10″ wide and 9″ high. The strap has a 25″ drop so it can be worn as a traditional shoulder bag over one shoulder or across your chest. Bag is made from a recyled wool sweater and is sewn by hand and by machine.

Check out all the nice upcycled bags at HandMadeOriginals etsy shop. $20

Egg candles and stands combo

A set of egg candles, poured in a real eggshell in your choice of white or brown, and a set of stands in a distressed cobalt blue.

These candle stand come in different colors and finishes. Find these are other lovely handmade items at LilfishStudios. $13 for this set.

The Office – Set of 6 One Inch Buttons

Set includes one of each of the following:
- “Assistant to the Regional Manager”
- “That’s What She Said”
- “Lord, Beer Me Strength”
- “Ratio of Unicorns to Leprechauns (Stanley Nickels reference)”
- “Fact: Bears Eat Beets”
- “I heart Big Tuna”

Find these in Krystan’s etsy shop. $5

Gifts $10 and under.

Ahhhhh!  It is time to start thinking about Christmas.   I would really like to buy handmade gifts this year.  Here are a few inexpensive ideas:

Egglings

These ceramic EGGLINGS look and feel just like real eggs. Just crack one open, add water, and you’ve created a springtime oasis for your desk or window (even if it’s winter outside). Growing is EASY — plants thrive for months in their shell and can be replanted in soil. Sold individually.

These egglings are great. They come in basil, mint, wild strawberry and more… Find them at Elsewares. $9.50

Tea Bag Holder

Carry your favorite tea and sugar substitute in style with this pretty hand-knit case. Available at jacquelineknits. $10

Roasted Black Tea and Tobacco Mens Bath Soap

Mysgarden is offering this wonderfully dark, rich, black tea and Tobacco scented bath soap made using fresh brewed black tea, a Shea butter soap base, and a touch of castor oil. This soap is an Extra large 6.6 ozs.!
This is truly a mans soap. $6.75

Handling the dirties.

Well, a new week is beginning, and I have not had any posts in a while.  So, I will just quickly let you know what has been happening at my house.  I acquired some commissioned portraits this week in my etsy shop, and also completed some trades with some sellers on etsy.  I must say I love bartering and trading.  My paintings scored me some all-in-one cloth diapers and some vintage baby spoons.  There is some planning going on right now for a trade with the Llamajama shop owner too.  I am so excited.

We have got the hang of the cloth diapers, and also we have followed the recommendations of many diapering websites to use Charlie’s soap to wash our cloth.   I now recommend it too:

One of the most exciting things that happened this week was when Henry used the potty.  Yeah!  He sees Miles using the potty, and occasionally I will let him try to use it too.  Most times he only passed a bit of gas, but this time he was successful.  Makes a mom proud.  He is only 17 months old.  I bet he will be potty trained by the time he is 2.

Thanks to some wonderful friends at Trinitas, the Barnes family, we were treated to a boat ride to the Wharf  where we enjoyed dinner and a Ferris Wheel ride.  Miles told me he was “really, really scarry” (he means scarred), but I think he liked it.

Jane is due in a couple of weeks, and I have made it to the date that I needed to in order to have the baby outside of the hospital.  So she will be born at the birth center.  Hooray!  No IVs, no triage, no overnight stays, no nurses trying to get me to take Tylenol3 every hour, and no fluorescent lights.

So, if the blogging slows down this week or next, it might be because of Jane.  I cannot wait to see her.

Fall.

Today our family went to enjoy Trinitas Christian School’s Fall Festival.  Now most fall festivals probably do not have snow cone booths, but since it was about 91 degrees outside in Pensacola, the snow cones were a must.  I had 2.  Henry and Miles enjoyed theirs too.  I love Trinitas.  Yesterday, they threw me and Jane a baby shower.  Thanks everyone for all the amazingly lovely girl clothes and gifts.

After the festival, I stayed at the school to finish this painting:

What wonderful wool.

Now that I am using cloth diapers, I get to dream about all the cute accessories that are available to the cloth-crowd. Wool soakers and longies are my favorites.

Here is a pair of longies from a shop called Llamajama: