On the eve of the new year....

We've had such a fun winter break. Romping in the snow....
baking cookies.... lost teeth.... precious time with family...Cheers to 2011!

Winter solstice...

Hearths and hearts aglow,
Winter wonderland is nigh,
Peace and love to all.

- Annabel Sheila

To celebrate the winter solstice and the full moon, today we made

moon cake

1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and lightly grease a round pan.
In a large saucepan, bring water and margarine to a boil. Remove from heat, and mix in flour with electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Spread evenly in prepared pan .
Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely
In large bowl, combine pudding mix, milk and cream cheese. Mix with electric mixer until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Top with whipped topping and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Chill in refrigerator and serve cold.

snowed in....

It's an official winter wonderland.

I'm going to be taking a blog break. I've been needing to take a step back for awhile. I want to take a look at this blog and what it means to me. I need to re-examine, re-define and re-imagine what I want it to be. I hope to come back refreshed and inspired before too long. Take care and enjoy the season.

five senses friday: new puppy edition

This week has been a whirlwind getting acquainted with the new puppy. His playful nature and warm snuggling has been a treat on these cold blustery days. I thought it would be a fun week to join in on abby's five senses friday.seeing: this cute little face. who could resist!?!touching: this amazing crazy quilt circa 1896 that I found at an estate sale last weekend. It's filled with beautiful colors, stitching and textures.smelling: my new favorite candle fragrance, mistletoe

tasting: sneaking a treat here and there as Chloe made her gingerbread house
hearing: the wonderful music of the Nutcracker while Chloe paints her own figurine. We're taking her tomorrow to see the Moscow Ballet's production.Thanks so much for all of your five year blog birthday wishes. I appreciate each and every reader and all your support. Hope and I were excited to get our winter stories class underway this week and the winner of my giveaway for a spot in the class is Suzie Button. Congratulations!

ArtsyMama turns five....and a giveaway!

Today is quite auspicious, it's been 5 years since I began this blog and this is my 1000 post!

Here's a look back...

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four

This year I've been quietly blogging away my daily adventures with the kids and have stuck to my New Year's resolution of a scrapbook page-a-day throughout the entire year. I am already enjoying those 11 albums all lined up, showcasing what we did with each and every day of 2010.

Since this year was all about documenting the everyday, my five senses Friday posts pretty much encapsulate my year. They begin in the frigid months, here, here, here, here, and with glowing hearts.

Then having some wanderlust, taking a trip, indulging and being aware of all the changes of an early spring.

Soon enough, school was out and summer took hold with it's rainbow of colors. Then suddenly, the kids were back to school and it was fall! I documented September alphabetically. Then before long, Halloween arrived, then Thanksgiving. Yikes!

Where has the year gone?!

A hightlight of the year was Chloe's 5th birthday party with a Strawberry Shortcake theme. Also our girls trip out to California to celebrate my niece's golden birthday with an Enchanted Woodland party. Along with Hope's visit in the fall. Of course I documented each season in detail, as I always do. So wonderful to look back at all the color as the cold, grey winter has taken hold already.

I arrive at this occasion with a lot of nostalgia for where this blog has been and a big question mark about where it's going. It seems that I am closing a chapter and hope to open a new one with a fresh focus. I plan to work on compiling all that my blog has been into another self-published book. I also plan to index this blog so that all of the 1000 entries I have done, can be categorized and accessed. I am not sure where this will take me. Hopefully it will offer a new perspective.

One thing I'm very excited about is the Winter Stories class that Hope and I are hosting together that begins TODAY! Find out all the details here. In celebration of all that this blog has been and where it is headed, we are giving away a spot in the class! If you don't want to miss out on any of the fun and sign up before I announce the winner, you will be refunded the price of the class, if you win. Please leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway!

introducing....

the newest member of our family, a little 10 week old cocker spaniel puppy named Bodhi. He arrived on Thanksgiving Eve. Joe drove through a snow storm to pick him up. The kids were elated!


Chloe is totally in love!

Such a busy couple of days we've had all getting to know each other. Of course there have been accidents and nipping, but we're working on that. We love our newest family member!

Hope your Thanksgiving was memorable!

Gobble, gobble!

This lovely printable is created by draw!pilgrim.I have so many things to be thankful for. Thank YOU to all my wonderful blog readers. There are big changes coming soon here and I want to make sure to express how much your readership and support has meant to me!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

five senses friday: pre-thanksgiving edition

It's the weekend before Thanksgiving and I'm getting ready for our small gathering of family. I thought it would be fun to participate in abby's five senses friday, since it's been awhile. seeing: lots of yummy vintage prints around the house in gorgeous warm, fall colors
smelling: my new favorite candle, The Paddywax Charles Dickens candle with notes of tangerine, juniper & clove (vintage fabric bunting by TheRiceBabies) feeling: the softness of these perfectly worn pillows and this amazing gold velvet chair I found at an estate sale yesterday!
Chloe likes it! tasting: sprinkled pretzels that Chloe made with a friend...yum!

hearing: sisterly advice from my wise older sister during our Friday afternoon chat. So thankful for her thoughtful listening and compassion. Thank you, Laura!

Have a great weekend!

warm and cozy....

We had our first snow storm of the season this past weekend and ended up with about a foot of snow! Much of it has melted now, but we've gone from warm colorful days of fall to cool, grey early winter. I've been putting some warm and cozy colors together for my winter palette. Here are some favorites from flickr. 1. Tea & toast by the fire, 2. dearest deer, 3. DSC_1189, 4. yarn therapy..., 5. good mail day, 6. bargellos and granny squares, 7. Untitled, 8. wallflower2, 9. thread spools, 10. old things, new things, 11. too much closeness, 12. Last gathering of the deer in the forest, 13. hester & hetty, 14. ... and after, 15. little winter, 16. + happy new year +

Oh, and have you seen the gorgeous Gifted online magazine?

red velvet love....

In all the excitement over the estate sale last weekend, I forgot to show you my favorite treasure of all, this very old velvet standing photo album. It never ceases to amaze me that people would actually use something this fancy for displaying their treasured photos. Oh what stories it contained. I thought it was so lush and pretty and perfect for this time of year. Now what to do with it?!

thinking about November....

I love this time of year! Thinking about how nature prepares for a long winter slumber. The rich, earthy colors feel so cozy and inviting. I have been reflecting on my 5 year blog anniversary and 1000th post coming up soon!

fa la la.....

I'm happy to say, the sale was really really good! Here is the fun stash of vintage goodies I scored, mostly today at half price! Luckily we just cleaned out our basement. They will all have to be stored for a little bit so I can enjoy these last beautiful days of fall. I'll see them again after Thanksgiving. What a fun suprise they will be!
I may have started a new collection....

I've been working on the Winter Stories class that Hope and I are hosting together for the holiday's and all these cute things definitely got me in the mood!