I know that Cupid is usually some sort of angel baby,

but I'm thinking he's a little bit naughtier than that.

I had fun carving his little bow, and didn't even cut myself. Dylan got a scroll saw recently (woohoo, new toy!) so the basic shape was cut from a tiny piece of trim, then I busted out the ole X-acto knife and sandpaper to finish it off.

Tag! I'm it!

I've been tagged. Karin from Countryfolk Keepsakes tagged me and now (after asking what exactly "tag" means) I have to write 5 things about myself and then pass on the taggy goodness. OK, here goes:

1) When I was 7 I was bound and determined to marry Sidney Poitier when I grew up.

2) Clowns totally creep me out. They REALLY creep me out when they are out of context, like at the bank. *shudder*

3) I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The show, not the movie. I'm not like a super fan, not running out to get a Xander tattoo or anything, but I have seen every episode. And I think Joss Whedon is a genius.

4) I am certified in CPR and know how to use one of those defibrillator do-hickeys. Don't go feeling like it's safe to have a heart attack around me though, I might just freak out.

5) My mom still calls me Buttonhead. And I don't mind one little bit.

OK, now comes the part when I tag 5 other people. If I can catch them. . .

T

Nutmeg

Dixie

Mica

Melissa

You're it!

New Little Red

A new dolly came to join the Reds on Christmas morning.

An old soul, she has seen some hard days

and is rather suspicious of strangers.

I'm afraid she has met a wolf or two in her long years,

and is all the more careful for it.

It took some coaxing, but Tinker Red is the care-taking sort.

It wasn't long before our new girl was sitting on Tinker's lap.

Squeaky Red is a bit much at first,

what with her incessant chatter,

but she grew on New Red in no time.

Like all little girls, Reds are especially resilient creatures,

and before I knew it they were all merrily exchanging secrets.

Hey there Little Red Ridinghood. . .

The Little Reds have come out to play!

This is my growing collection of treasures. They insisted on coming out to join in on the Christmas festivities. And, naturally, they wanted hats. My most treasured Reds are gifts. The sullen one standing just left of the tree is from my little Jimmy. The beauty to the far right was made by my dear friend Tink. And the hauntingly gorgeous Red second from the left is the creation of the unconquerable Nutmeg. And that wonderful blue antique Christmas ball sitting in the lap of the one farthest left is from the thoughtful and generous JoJo. Thank you my dear dolly friends!

Killer Candy Canes

Looky what my little Kaity made. She's awesome.

It's a major award!

This one is for Ronn

and any other Christmas Story fans out there. If you look closely you might see Ralphie (sans glasses) peeking.

Some Favorite Kid-Made Ornaments

The above are just a few of my favorite ornaments that the kids have made over the years.

We try to make ornaments together every year. It was easy when the kids were little-- just throw a big box of art and craft supplies in front of them, sit down together at a little well-covered table, and they're good to go. Hours of fun!

Now, however, their attention spans are a little less craft-time focused, what with puberty and all. Still, I keep trying.

Even though getting them into playing with glue and glitter is less likely than getting them to voluntarily wash the dishes nowadays, they still really like looking at all the old ornaments they've made coming out of the box when it's tree decorating time.

I'm amassing a box of new supplies and ornament directions now, hoping to pounce on the kids the first time I hear, "I'm bored." Wish me luck.

Moon Man

My mother has informed me that the moon is female. Oops.

Christmas Socks

OK, OK, here are the stockings.

I'm not the photographer that Dylan is I'm afraid,

but you get the idea.

That big circle on the bottom left corner of Dylan's tree is a pin he got for breaking a world's record. He was in the biggest guitar band. 1,000 guitar players (including Dylan, my sweet dad, and an aunt and uncle) played

This Land is Your Land for an hour in downtown Portland.

Christmas Trio

Told ya I like things in groups of threes.

---------

It's looking mighty Chrismassy around here.

Stockings are hung by the chimney with care and all that. (A more accurate account would be-- The stockings were hung on that red shelf that Joee made over in the corner. I agree, it's not very catchy.)

I made the aforementioned stockings many years ago. They each have a simple tree shape (aka triangle) stitched to the front and each year we all add an "ornament" to our tree. It might be a pretty button, an old barrette, a little pin, or some sort of charm. This year I found these tiny little bottles with tiny little corks so I'm filling them with sand from the beach by our house and attaching them as this year's ornaments. I love these little traditions. I love to think of our rather tacky little stockings living far into the future, weighed down by so many years of Christmases that the felt is no longer visible.

What are your dearest traditions

this time of year?

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Speaking of threes. . . The one with the red dot on its beak is the girl, on account of she has that red dot on her beak. Thus concludes the extent of my seagull knowledge. If I was a seagull and someone was throwing me something delicious, I'd keep it to myself, not announce it to the world and all my competing seagull rivals. I would not squawk loudly, letting them all know to come take it from me. I could teach a seagull a thing or two.

1. . . 2. . . 3. . .

Three tiny angels.

Angels don't get jealous of things

like who gets the only party hat.

Things look better in threes I think.

Except for wounds, I suppose.

Monkey Sisters

I make a lot of sister dolls. I don't really know why. I don't have a sister. I've come to love the sisterhood of women relatively recently. I know that sounds kinda alternative lifestyle-ish. I'm ok with that. My husband never notices new earrings, but my girly friends do.
Oh, and I'm obsessed with polka dots lately.

Show & Tell

I'm putting this thing together with the encouragement of lots of people who think I must have something to say. Well, I don't know about that. So I'm just gonna treat it as my own personal Show & Tell, with an emphasis on Show.