GTD: Getting Things Done.

Weekend Task #1: Clean and fold laundry.

Ian's Agenda: Bake with Daddy.

Which task won? Bake with Daddy

Weekend Task #2: Unpack all boxes in Mommy's office.

Addie's Agenda: Sew dolly blankets with Mommy.

Which task won? Sewing dolly blankets with Mommy.

Weekend task 3: Organize parent's bedroom

Kid's agenda: Snuggle and wrestle with parents

Which task won? Snuggle and wrestle with parents.

Please don't come over to my house today. I have very happy children, but a very neglected house. Sure is nice to take a break from housework though!

I am in love with a boy.

My boy has many faces, and I love them all! These pictures are worth a thousand words...his face just says it all. All three years worth! Happy Birthday Bug...You are my laughter, my joy, my love and my boy! Here's to being THREE!

The chef party.

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a brother and sister who loved to eat sweets and loved to cook and make things together. So they decided to have the perfect sweet-eating, food-cooking, craft making birthday party.

It started out with mother making a table filled with sweets and good things to eat. But since she learned long ago the beauty of delegation, she miraculously found the best sweet-making queen in the land to make the cupcakes for the party. Queen Dusti at Tres Sucre went above and beyond with her strawberry frosting, white chocolate dipped, sprinkled covered marshmellow cupcakes. The most divine in all the land!!! (Seriously folks....we're talking break every new years resolution good! She caters...call her up and get some!)

Next the children each got their own apron to wear and take home for the party which were lovingly (and a little too quickly) made by Mother and Sister.

But every chef needs a chef hat, so we started the day with making paper hats. You know...it makes the food taste better when you where them!

Each child made their own personal pizzas, with pre-made dough provided by Father, the royal chef of the land. There was plenty of cheese for all!

After the pizza making extravaganza, the children had an in door picnic eating their hand-made pizza's. But they were also sitting a little too close to the sweets table, and soon claimed to be full enough so we could move on to the cupcake eating!

Wishes were made and candles were blown (spit on rather...thus the INDIVIDUAL cupcakes rather than a large CAKE until children are AT LEAST 6) and tummies were happy.

Presents were opened.

Presents were then worn

And played with

And then it was pinata time...with even more sweets for the already full children!

Hug and laughs and happy chefs left with happy tummies and happy treats. But of course, we couldn't be finished with the party until a proper balloon release.

And after all was said and done, the brother and sister said good-bye and thank you, closed the door and snuggled a happy mother and father, who knowing they had to clean up the mess from 10 creative chefs, snuggled knowing they had two very special children who were going to live another year of happily ever after.

The end.

Sugar and spice.

Thrilled to be drawing again. Here is what I came up with for Addie and Ian's party invites. They are 12 months apart and a few days, and so this year we are sporting a combined party complete with lollipops and sweets of all kinds. I can't wait to see what we come up with...a Hansel and Gretel theme is coming to mind! Now to start the baking...

newsworthy news.

At the moment, I truly wish I was doing a little of this right now. Or sewing stockings. Or decorating for christmas. Or baking gingerbread.

Instead, I am packing boxes and bedding and bags full of our HOUSE!

Yes. We are moving. This week. Yes, crazy for sure. Thankfully we will be with my parents for Christmas which means Addie's tears about the lack of a christmas tree will be soothed very soon. But in fact, they are just excited about the move right now which is a good distraction at the moment.

We are moving into my Grandmother's 'guest cottage' I guess you could call it. When My grandparents built their house years ago, they built a second smaller house for my widowed and blind great-grandmother.It has since become the home of my uncle and his family, but they just moved out this weekend. and we are moving in for the time being. We couldn't be more thrilled. Mostly to have change, a yard, single family living and to be neighbors with my now widowed grandmother. My children love her to pieces, and I do too. We will also be 3 blocks away from my widowed grandfather which makes this a doubly great set up. Combined with the honor of living in the same dwelling that my late grandfather built by hand, and my Great grandmother lived and died in...a woman I don't have any memories of...is the best Christmas present ever!

So, with the chaos of moving in the middle of the busiest time of year (and my anniversary, um...let's celebrate in January my dear!) There are just a few things you can expect in my shop:

NEWS:

**My LAST ORDERS WILL SHIP DEC. 15th. The end. Period. Taking a break until the new year:) And hopefully you will be done with your Christmas shopping then anyways:)

**I have 15 more calendars and 5 sets of card packs left in my shop. When they are gone, they are gone!

**I will be working through the move, but will not have internet for the upcoming weekend. Orders will ship on time.

Other news:

I was featured in my local paper this morning, along with some other local ETSY artists. So honored to be featured! And so excited that my local community is catching on to the complete coolness of ETSY. Love it. Read the full article here.

I can't wait to show you pictures of our new dwelling. Hope I can show you soon! I will be in and out of the blogging world this week, so see you around...and thanks for being so wonderful. Truly. I am wishing I could throw a house warming party for you all! hmmmmmm....wassail anyone?

xoxo

sarah jane

All is well on the western front.

Hello Friends!

I am sitting here at my computer feeling like I am strangers with my blog! Thanks for stopping in while I have been gone. We had a WONDERFUL trip to California for a really long break! Thanksgiving day was a fun day for the kids complete with last minute costumes: Ian was an Indian with a paper bag vest, but ended up just going around naked most of the day (appropriate I guess) and Addie was a pilgrim. I asked her "What do pilgrims do?" and she replied "chase turkeys all day." So that is what we did. We hid turkeys in the garden and had the kids hunt for them. Someday they will learn the true process, but not from me!

We even made our first ever road trip with the kids. Two days each way driving wasn't so bad, until Addie couldn't battle her car-sickness any longer and shared it with the entire back seat. But these are details I will gladly spare you!

So we are back in the throws of the Christmas season! Having a shop open during Christmas is challenging my creativity at the moment to get in the full spirit of things. But right now I am listening to the King's College Choir sing In the bleak midwinter and all is well. Christmas presents this year are coming together great, and though I can't share most of them (my family reads my blog too!) I can share some gifts for my kids!

For Addie: 1. Meeebee Shoulder bag and sewing packet. She will go crazy! I am going to fill it with fabric that she can make doll clothes out of. We are trying to sew more together, but not nearly as much as she asks me to! Aren't these darling!!?!?! I found Meeabee on ETSY and I am thrilled. "All that is cute from Japan" is her motto. Handmade and wonderful! Japanese fabrics i love!! She even threw in an extra little pencil case! Made to perfection!

For Ian: 1. Meeabee: this toddler bag (he is always wanting to wear a purse like Mama or Addie!) complete with orange robots. Orange is his favorite color, and robots are a big trend with him right now. little boy apron as well. 2. Vintage Bethany: vintage puzzles. I am going tack the pieces in and hang them up in his room. I am loving the colors...especially in the chapel piece. To me Toys are art as much as they are toys!Are you seeing an ETSY trend? I am a devout believer:) 3. Green Clean Toys: Loving this fisher price fire truck. Bell and all. I remember pulling this toy around as a kid. He'll go crazy over it!

A few more handmade items coming still! But for now...I am off to printing and shipping! Thanks to all of you who patiently waited over the holiday break! All items are shipping today and tomorrow! I will be back soon with more creations in the works....but for now, I am needing to get back to printing printing printing!

Cheers!