Christmakah

I am slowly, slowly starting to see an end to the enormous list of tasks that need to be accomplished in the next few days. It's always hard when Christmas and Hanukkah happen at the same time because there's just so "much" going on. It's an overload of the senses, and by this time of the season, all the Holiday joy has been sucked out of me.

Nina is super duper excited. She's barely sleeping. Asher is oblivious and just plain bad. I taught him to say, "Bad, bad baby", and he uses the phrase appropriately....just when he's about to do something naughty. Nina had dress rehearsal for the ice show tonight, and while she was skating, Asher ran away from me. He didn't just run across the gym. He decided that he needed to run across the indoor soccer field, while a game was taking place. Everyone laughed and thought it was cute. I, however, did not. I'm so sick and freaking tired of chasing this kid all over creation. Of course, if I were nice and skinny, then I could say something witty, "Oh, he keeps me fit". I'm not skinny and he's still bad. That's just the way it goes.

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and all that other nonsense. Blake asked me what I wanted for a gift, and I said that it would be nice to have some time for myself. He looked at me incredulously and said, "You just got your hair cut last week"! Oh yeah, that hour and a half really fit the bill. Apparently, labor laws do not apply to Motherhood.

The season is all about the ones we love, and these are a few of them:

Chicken Pot Stickers

My scrapbooky friend, Monica, made these for book club one month. They make a TON, so it's good for book club, parties, or freezing. We were reading an Asian book, so we always have a bunch of munchies at the meeting that go along with the theme. It's really just an excuse to eat non-kid food. Both of my kids like these, but only because I give them gross names like "chicken poop biscuits". Weird what kids will eat. When Blake and I eat them for dinner, I serve them with rice and steamed veggies. They are really, really good.

Chicken Pot Stickers

1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken
1 sm. red pepper, finely chopped
3 med. scallions, chopped
1/2 cup shredded green or red cabbage
1 egg white
2 tsp. chopped ginger root (optional, but highly recommended)
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 pkg. wonton wrappers
2 cups chicken broth
4 tsp. reduced sodium soy sauce

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT wonton wrappers, broth and soy sauce.

Brush wonton wrappers with water (I just dunk them one by one into a bowl filled with water because inevitably a small child will want my cooking brush).

Place some chicken mixture on center and pinch closed.

Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray

Heat over medium heat

Cook 12 at a time about 3 minutes, until light brown; turn

Stir in 1/2 cup of broth and 1 tsp. soy sauce

Cook (covered) for 5 minutes

Uncover and cook 1 minute or until liquid is evaporated

Repeat with rest of pot stickers

Serve with soy sauce to dip in, or we were Asian/Ginger salad dressing.

Sooooo yummy.

I'm baaaaackkkkkkk

E-gads......has it really been two months since I last posted? My life has been thrown into shambles and for those of you who know me well, you'll recognize my absence as the typical "Rebecca has shut down" mode. I hate that I do that, but it's always been the case. I tend to only focus on the tasks at hand and put blinders on to everything else. In a nutshell, here's what's been happening:

• our house is on the market and we're relocating to New Jersey....the state that everyone says, "But there's nice parts in Jersey", which makes me believe that most of it is crap. Blake has been driving back and forth each day, which is a 2+ hour commute, so we don't really have a choice.


• Nina is getting ready for her first solo skating performance right before Christmas, which she's thrilled about. What that means for ME is that we're at the rink 2-3 times a week, with Asher in tow running around like a maniac.


• Asher is almost 22 months. Enough said on that. He's hell on wheels. He had eye surgery last month to open up a clogged tear duct. His right eye watered constantly, and he needed to have the duct opened before he was two. It was a minor operation, and he recovered really quickly. The freakiest part was that he cried bloody tears for 18 hours, so we took to calling him "our own personal Jesus".


• My business has been fantastic this Holiday season, and if I could figure out a way not to sleep, then I might actually catch up with everything.


• Blake and I are going away ALONE this weekend for the first time in two years. Of course, we're house hunting, but we're hoping to get a nice dinner in and maybe a movie. I also made sure to book a bed and breakfast that does not accept children. Nothing kills a weekend away alone better than someone else's kids. I'm doing everything I can to go into New York on Friday afternoon to get some fabric and notions shopping in, but it seems that despite my best efforts, that might not happen. Blake is an excellent shopper, as long as there's something for him, so fabric/notions shopping is not that thrilling. Most of all, I'm looking forward to having 3-4 hours all to myself, when I don't have to rush to be back home, or have someone whining because I'm taking too long. What I'd really like for the Holidays is a whole weekend in New York by myself, which I know is selfish, but that's what I'd really, really like.

My laptop crashed this weekend. Totally and completely crashed. Without any hope of retrieval. I am in severe, severe mourning over this because, like an idiot, I did not back anything up. Oh - it's on my ever-growing "to do" list, but I just haven't gotten to it. I still have the big computer in my studio, which I'm on now, but it's all different and I don't like it - like going to your in-laws for the first time at Thanksgiving. It's alright, just not where you're comfortable. The keys are harder to press, so I can't type as fast, and I get distracted by all my projects that are due for customers and I just don't feel like working to finish. I procrastinate a lot this time of year because there are a ton of things I'd like to get done for myself, and as much as I vow that I'm not going to be making presents this year, I always have a healthy stack of gifts to make. The worst part is that very few people appreciate the time I take to do this, so this year, only the "craft worthy" are getting things. That cuts the list down significantly to the moms (Blake's and mine), my kids, and Blake might finally get that hat he's been asking me to knit him for the past three years.



I did just win a $50 gift certificate at the local yarn store, so I hired a babysitter and spent a glorious hour picking out yarn to make something for myself. In the 7 years that I've been knitting, I've only made one thing for myself. It's this gorgeous sweater that I just finished, and it took me eight months to accomplish. I love it. At my last craft show, as few weeks ago, someone offered me $250 for it, and I did contemplate selling it, but the shirt I had on underneath was not well........well, it was too clingy and see-through to be worn alone. And I love my sweater. This time, I picked out some beautiful silk/alpaca yarn that's just heaven to work with. I'm itching to get started on it, but it will probably have to wait until we're in Vermont after Christmas.



I will post some pictures the next time because I need to figure out how to plug my camera into this computer. Is everyone done with their Holiday shopping?

Off she goes...

to Kindergarten. How this day came so quickly, is beyond me. She's doing great. I'm very proud of her.

I'm back

...well, sort of. I'm still feeling swamped by a million things, but I'm aching to get back to some normalicy. Whatever that is. A lot has happened in the past month. Sadly, the greatest event was the passing of our 10 year old Golden Retriever, Riley. I miss him terribly.

He was a really good dog. He was also the hairiest beast on the planet, and although I don't miss having to vacuum every other day, I do find myself stopping and looking around for him more than once every hour or so. He was always with me, always patient, always gentle, and he leaves a great, big giant hole in my heart. Nina wants to know when we're getting another dog, and I can't even begin to think about that now. Maybe someday. But not now.

Taking a breather.....

That whole "life is crazy sometimes" mantra that I have is hitting home lately - hard. I don't even have time to sleep this week, so the ole' blog is going to be shelved for a while. Here's a short, and totally random list of events:

• Blake unexpectedly switched jobs last week. He's now working in New Jersey and commuting 2 hours each way. We're hoping not to move, but we'll see. We already don't like the commute. Sigh.


• My grandfather went in for another heart surgery yesterday. He's "okay".


• School starts in 3 weeks, so although summer is winding down, we're cramming all the activities we can into a short amount of time.


• I have 3 shows in the next 7 weeks. No time to work during the day, so I'm pulling late, late nights.

I'll check back in with you all at the end of the month. Take care!

Rebecca

Detention Flowers

Gladiolas. They always remind me of high school - Mount Saint Joseph Academy. My high school was attached to a convent. And in that convent lived very, very old nuns. Whenever anyone got detention, it always involved the nuns. In the winter, you'd have to read to them, and it was usually a really racy love novel. In the fall, they would sit in their lawn chairs outside and instruct you on pruning the gladiolas. They had hundreds. All colors. They were beautiful.

The gladiolas bloom earlier here than they do at home - almost a full month. I love them. And the nuns probably thought that we were the biggest bunch of hoodlums because detention was always full. I don't think that they knew about the waiting list in the office. We always volunteered.

A rare moment....

of peace and quiet in an usually hectic time of day. The hours of 4-6 pm have always been a little stressful for me because everything happens at once. Dinner needs to be made, the baby is fussy, Nina's had it (and we're all paying for it), the dog wants to go out-in-out-in, cats wants to eat....and well, I start eyeing the wine a little closer with each passing minute.

Today, poor Nina has a migraine. Of course, she didn't tell me that her head hurt until we got to the grocery store and she walked around saying, "Oh - I'm gonna throw up", a little too loud. Boy did people move! We got out of there in record time. She fell asleep in the car, and she's still snoozing in her bed. I feel bad for her. I don't get migraines very often anymore, and I hope that she outgrows them.

So, Asher and I have been quiet downstairs, while she sleeps. He's finally able to use his toddler crayons. I gave up on the paper and just let him color his highchair tray. Gotta wash it up anyway. He's cute with them - and yes, he's eating them. A childhood right, I guess.



I'm not too sure why she got a migraine. Most of the "triggers" are food related, and she didn't eat any of them today. It might be because her ponytails were in too tight. Her hair had been braided the last two days, and we took it out this morning. She had the biggest white-girl afro, so we had to put it back up. Maybe that was it. Who knows?

So much for the candid shot

I was trying to get a picture of the funny cat sleeping in front of the door, and Asher came over and plunked himself down. Show stealer.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Nina was engrossed in some vintage Disney movie - probably Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - which drives everyone but her crazy.

If you get the same fortune twice

does that mean it's true????

....because I did. Several years apart, but the same, none-the-less. Oh, so true (LOL!!!!!).

In the garden of rambling thoughts

Every spring, I set out to have a beautiful garden. One without weeds, flowers rotating at the perfect time, always fresh and in bloom. The type of garden that stops people on their evening dog walks and makes them say, “Wow! What a beautiful place”. I set out that way. And it last for a week, two tops. In short, stuff happens, and by mid-July we look like the Munsters. Again. I have all the makings and skills for that perfect garden, but what I lack in gumption. Whatever gumption is, I need some of that. By mid-July I’m so disappointed in myself and my lack-luster garden, that I want to mow the whole thing down and plant grass, but I know that I won’t water it, so it would just be a giant bare patch in the front yard.

This morning I stood in the front yard, looking at the overgrown patch, with Asher in my arms and Nina running all over the place – sighing. It will take hours, no make that days, to clean the mess out. I don’t think that I have it in me to do that. I don’t think I care enough at this point to even bother. And it’s hot out here. And there are bugs. And is that thing even a plant or some sort of hybrid weed? And isn’t there a water shortage? Somewhere?

Both my mom and mother-in-law have beautiful gardens. All sorts of flowers and plants that grow and make sense. Both women walk me around their garden saying, "Look at my so-and-so plant. Isn't it just gorgeous". Sure. I guess. Honestly, unless you stop right in front of it, point it out and make me touch it, then I have no idea what you're talking about. They might as well have a blue-footed boobie walking though the yard because all I can see is a 3 foot chubby toddler running toward whatever he's not suppose-to be near, and his sister performing some sort of acrobatic feat because my back it turned for 2 seconds. They're lucky that I was paying attention long enough to hear what they said. I think it's because their children are grown and gone, that their gardens are so beautiful. They have the time to nurture and care for them.

I'm growing children. The flowers are lucky to even be alive.

Not much news.....

....here on the Botvin front. The kids are getting bigger, school is starting next month, and the daily life goes on. Asher has been cutting his last 7 teeth for the past couple of weeks, and yes, he's getting them all at once. It's been a little rough, but not horrible. He's talking quite a bit more, saying, "eat, all done, ut-oh, kitty, down, that (said over and over again, while pointing)". He's a funny little man. He loves his Teletubbies, Playschool Farm set, books, riding car, and most of all, his sister.
Nina is doing well - getting older. I never knew that "almost 6 year olds" knew everything that there was to know in the world, and that they can do everything by themselves. I really am the idiot that she thinks I am. Silly me. She's changing, and it's all good - just annoying at times. She's better when she's busy, which means that I need to do most of the entertaining, or carting her around. She is funny as hell, though. She's growing her bangs out, and she looks so much older and prettier. I always liked the bangs, but she wants them longer, so we're dealing with the ponytail holders and headbands.

Blake and I are doing well....more summer house projects. Blake power washed the back deck over the 4th of July weekend, and now we're just waiting for a not-so-hot day to stain and weatherproof it. Horrible job, either way you look at it, but it will be done for a few years.

I've been doing a few craft shows, so business is picking up. I need to clearance some of my odds and ends on ebay because my studio is so packed that I can't walk in there.

How are things in your neck of the woods??

etsy trade

Sometimes I have to admit defeat. Adding a banner to my etsy shop is one of those times. I suck at Photoshop. Hands down. And I suppose I could come up with something, and be happy with it, but it would take me HOURS and lots and lots of swearing. There are a ton of graphic designers on etsy, who work for nothing in comparison to my frustration level. I sent out a request for what I wanted, and 45 people responded. I'm happy with the final result.

I traded two dresses with a photographer in California. http://jennybphotos.com/. Nina is getting too big for some of my styles, so I have to find a toddler. I love this picture.

When I've had it.....

A while ago, a friend of mine told me that you know it's time for your child to go to school when you can't stand the sight of each other anymore. We might be getting to that point.


I think it would be easier if she had a sibling closer in age, but she doesn't, so I'm the reserve playmate. And I'm not a very good one most of the time. Not that I mind playing with her, I really love it, but I can't do that all day - every day - because nothing else gets done. So, there are times when she needs to do something alone, so I can clean, or do laundry, or make dinner....forget about the outside work. It's just not happening.


Blake and his dad went to a folk fest in New York, Old Songs, this past weekend. They were gone 4 days, and I'm glad that they went because they don't get to spend much time alone together. Everything went fine at home, until Sunday. Let me back that up - everything went fine as long as we did what Nina wanted to do, which is typical for any kid, so I don't hold that against her. On Sunday, we went thrifting, painted her nails, made cookies and played about a million games of Uno......then he brother needed to take a nap, and I needed to get some stuff done. Nina wanted me to color with her. I didn't. This was not a popular decision. She cried, had a fit, but enough was enough. In the end, she finally calmed down, but what she really needed was a nap. Good luck with that idea.

She ended up making a fort with her cat and calming down. I finished what I needed to do. When I came back into the kitchen, I found this on my laptop. She still loves me. Even when we're both miserable. I know that I will miss her terribly when school starts.......but probably not for the first month or two. LOL!!!

Baby Bunnies!!!

We now have SEVEN baby bunnies hopping around the backyard (apparently an old Golden Retriever and two kids aren't a threat). Right before vacation, we saw a Mama Bunny making a nest under the swing set. When we came home and peeked in the nest, there was a bundle of squeaking warm fuzzies. It was hard to tell what they were. And then today, right after dinner, something happened to catch my eye out the backdoor. There they were. Jumping all around, but still very near the nest. I just hope that the SEVEN soon-to-be adult bunnies find another yard to live in.

Food for Hibernation

Well, the small chest freezer is starting to fill up. Since I'm raising two fruit bats, I decided that I would pick and freeze any and every available fruit and veggie, while it's in season. During the winter, I can easily spend $60 a week on produce alone. But....the kids are healthy eaters, so I should just stop my bitching, right? It's crazy. My eye starts twitching every time the weather turns cold and I need to food shop.

So, every week, I load the kids into the car and we drive on out to the orchard. I always have these romantic visions of happy, frolicking children, who are polite, cheerful, agreeable, and pleasant the entire time. Apparently, my dream veered off into a cannabis patch because that's never happened. I always time it wrong. So, my fault entirely. It's either too hot, too close to dinner, too close to nap, too buggy, too the wrong shoes, and on and on.
but....isn't it nice to have a strawberry/rhubarb pie in January? I made 3 this summer, and Blake ate one - the whole thing - while watching a movie in bed one night. Of course, his stomach was a mess for a few days, but that didn't stop him from reminding me to bring home the leftover pie from book club a week later.

I loaded up cookie sheets with strawberries for freezing. It was Nina's job to put the frozen berries into ziplock bags a couple of days later. Cha-ching - saving myself $15, I said. Feeling all cocky, I forgot to calculate the cost of picking berries, gas to get there, 2 whoopie pies at the farm stand.....ummmm....but they taste so much better than the store bought ones.

Aren't these just the prettiest things? Asher started hyperventilating when he saw them. He plunked in blueberry-eating body down as close as he could get and just started shoveling them in. They should have weighed him before we started because that boy can pack them away. Nina was also grazing the entire time, but she was more selective. All she wanted was an ice cream cone and a bottle of water. The entire time. I think I heard this request 548 times in the half hour that we were there. I finally caved - mainly to get her to shut up. It was really hot, though.

I finally had to put Asher in his stroller because Nina and I would fill up the container, move on to the next bush, only to turn around and find the berries all gone. Asher would be looking innocent, and signing "more", while pointing at the empty container. (All in all, I think it's a good idea to teach young toddlers sign language because it cuts down on their frustration until they can full articulate their needs....however, it's pretty much the same as asking for water and ice cream 548 times).

So far, this is what I've got in that bad boy downstairs:

a ba-zillion packs of strawberries

rhubarb

blueberrries (although, I need more of these)

asparagus

sweet cherries

Body Zone Ice Show

Nina just finished a week of ice skating camp at the Body Zone. She started to cry this morning because she thought it was for the whole summer, not just a week. It's good to know that she loves it so much. There were about 30 kids. Nina and her friend, Katie, were two of the youngest, but since they've both been skating for 2 years, they were the most experienced. They have all sorts of fancy tricks, and they look even more impressive next to a bunch of 11 year olds that can't stand in skates. This boosts Nina's ego incredibly and makes her both cocky and hard to live with for the remainder of the day....that is until she gets together with the 7 year olds, and they blow her away.
Goofing around.

A pretty good spiral. She spent many, many weeks flat on her face before she was able to balance enough to glide across the ice.

Going into her waltz jump. I've been reading my digital camera handbook. I need to practice shooting in the arena more because the light bouncing off the ice and glass enclosures makes the pictures not as clear. Asher...well, he would have none of that. I had to hold him in one arm, and manipulate the camera with the other. I'll take what I can and practice another time.

The Big Boy Haircut

It had to be done. The poor boy had a mullet, and it wasn't cool. I kept waiting for it to curl, like Nina's did, but it really didn't. Nina and I took him to Kids Cuts. He sat in the truck seat, all by himself and got his first haircut - all while holding the cell phone he found in the play area. He already looks so much bigger.

Who knew she was that funny

"Ummm...Nina....what are you doing"

"Well, Mommy....I'm puttin' the Pea in Po-ta-to." said with a head bob and a giggle.

Art on the Avenue

Well, it's over. My first show is done, and boy-oh-boy was it a success. I was honestly quite surprised. The day was beautiful, I sold a ton, and I passed out even more business cards. Here I am with a little pineapple hat.

Here's the tent - in the blazing sun. I got a nice tan.

Some dresses and baby blocks. Blake (aka - Mr. Free Labor) is in the background.

A satisfied customer. Little Eli Esterbrook in his brand new pineapple hat. You know, that hat was such a bitch to make that I swore I wouldn't make another one....but, it is awfully cute, so now I'm rethinking the idea.

My boy

A few recent pictures of the trouble-maker.

Clam hair from Blake's clam basket dinner. Mmmmm......right before the basket got thrown - he's warming up his arm.
Boy on a beach. I like the shadow of Blake taking the picture. Evening.
Typical Asher. Having a fit. It was time to leave the beach. He does this limp-baby thing where he lifts his arms up and it's almost impossible to hang on to him. It makes Daddy cry too.

Secret Rendezvous

Caught red-handed in the bathroom this morning. That Nina makes me smile.

Allergy-free Coconut Cupcakes

Knitted cupcakes for the craft show. I won't be upset if these don't sell because I want them for my dining room table, and since I never make anything for myself, it might not happen again. Aren't they just the cutest things? Of course, the cake stand that I found at TJ Maxx ups the cuteness factor significantly.

Father's Day

Father's Day strawberry picking. Sweet on all accounts.

Kite Flying

June 11, 2008. 8:21 pm. North Cape May, NJ. Nina and her kite.

A little whine with that dress, Miss??

All I wanted was 15 minutes of her time. All I needed were pictures of two dresses to put up on the etsy site. All I asked was that she stop whining - at all costs - so I could just get the painful, excruciating experience over with. In the end, I got the shots I needed, but they could have been better. Take what I can get, I guess, because we're leaving the shore in a few days, and then I'd have to think of another location to photograph in. The hankie dress. I LOVE this new dress. I still have to fiddle with the button closures, so it might not make in this year's line, but I have a feeling it will sell really well once I get the glitched figured out.
She was done taking pictures....until I told her that if she kept doing that, a crab would bite her bottom. She got up. Quick.
The crabbing dress. I only have 3 of these, so it was important that I got them up on the site, so they would move.

Photo session was over, so I let her chase the sea rats. I guess I'll have to find another model because she really does hate doing the pictures. Pretty soon, someone will ask me who the pissed off little girl is in all my pictures. I guess she can cross that career off her list.

It's also good for me to look at these pictures because she still looks so little. She's been a bucketful of moodiness lately, and I'm forgetting that she's still five. Keep your patience, Rebecca because the time goes by so fast.