Finn and Mike begin to Jam...

a little time of music making...we hope this will go on and on and on into our future as parents, grandparents etc.

Boxing Day and beyond

We spent 2 nights Dec 26-28, in our friend Mike's "Wildwood Cabin" in Mayook..with Nana!
Here's what went on..

Biffy

Our Bass PLayer and Daughter came out to see us for some tunes...

The Cabin Next Door "eagles Nest" also one of our friend Mike's Projects..

Froehliche Weinachten-Christmas Afternoon!

the masterpiece.. A GINGERBREAD TRAILER PARK...BY MIKE

FInn got a blue guitar from Skye..an awesome hand-me-down!!!

Wrenny's new bumblebee backpack...

finn and Skye wait for their turn to make Gingerbread stuff

Mama and Wren making Gingerbread dough

MERRY CHRISTMAS-Christmas morn

A little Christmas Morning Caroling

Stokin the fire for Christmas Morn

Wrenny waits fro the Stocking Distribution to begin...

FInn's Doll "peter"

Wrenny's Dolly "Suzie"

Crafting at Christmas

A few things we are working on these days..present for Kai and Tomi-a wood block puzzle.

Finn REAAALLY wanted to have a picture with the puzzle..

Potatoe Stamping began at 7:50 this morning.

At 8:04 am the clean up began-short lived BUT very fun.

We moved the drawing room into the living room in the last days as it was getting TOO cold to draw in the kitchen...

next time: a pic of what we were potato stamping for...

"Advent, Advent, ein lichtlein Brennt.."

Here are a few pics of our nightly routine. We try to sing a few Christmas Carols with the kids each night around the kitchen table Advent wreath. yesterday ended smashingly well with a grand finale family parade- singing "Deck the Halls"-(with instruments!) all the way from the Kitchen to the sudsy bathtub-all 10 steps...Very fun!!! Who gets to have this much fun, I ask you. I am so freaking lucky.
Soon the Gingerbread men will be coming out-and their house...pics to follow

I have to say-I LOVE this time of year..and am so thankful for the two kids whom I get to show all these crazy Schwarz traditions!
I feel like the Wonder is all coming back.
Glitter and Sparkles abound.
Bring on the Halos, peppermint everything and chocolate before Breakfast.
Wow, I am an easy convert!
Mike is so great at getting into all this stuff too, although his does put his foot down on Herring Salad on Christmas Eve.
Sheesh,
spoil sport.

Also the updated version of the dolls which the kids have now named.

Soosie (prounounced "SSSoo-SSee" -Wrenny says it is NOT Suzie) and Peter (pronounced the regular way)

Finn and Peter

Wren and Soosie

Wrenny insisted Soosie has a "bum" I dont know what the future holds for us Hephers!

2 candles now!

Our Christmas Pyramid from Opa and Omi

December creeps on in

The deal is: we let our kids dress themselves-except for VERY VERY important days (what ARE those hmmm-arent they all the very same important!!) Anyways-here is a little capture of Wren's backward pants preference and her way of stealing Finn's brand new Christmas socks and other items on any given day...

The other morning I was busy sewing (I will send pictures of my new sewing headquarters soon), and Finn called me into the kitchen. He showed me what he made with Lego. I was duly impressed!

We have a couple of lovely little girls that come over two times a week that we babysit-here the kids are making a placemat freeway. Ahh-the joys of the creative mind unleashed. Hurrah for Childhood says I once again!
This last night, in German Tradition, "Nikolaus" comes to fill the boots with small toys, nuts, chocolate and oranges of the Earth's "Good Kids"-lumps of coal for the scallyways!
My kids were delighted to be included in this Ominous First Category.
However, Finn thought for sure Nikolaus had NOT come this morning when he first woke-because Nikolaus had not stopped to talk to Finn. He cried about it until we showed him that Nikolaus had left him a little stuffed toy "Wall-E" (Mama and Baba's shocking Disney Purchase-what is next I say!!!Yikes.)
My Standards are slippin'- nothing organic or green about this purchase.
oh well, cant beat em all...



Wrenny is delighted at such a find in her fave heart boots!!

Meet Dolly

Meet the new kids..heads only..

Dolly Hepher #1

the great limb cut out..

My Big MASTER plan is to make the kids dolls for Christmas (or Nikolaus-Dec 6-if I can't wait!).

Kids are aware of this, as they watch me sew, and are thinking of names for their dolls.
Wren really wants to play with her hairless, and unclothed doll, but I had to shoo her away as Dolly still has pins for eyes!

Today I asked Finn what he wanted to name his doll.
He said: it will be my "I love you Dolly".
I said, "ok, let's come up with some more names too, ok?"
(Ok, so maybe I do have an agenda, like:I want names less sugary than that.)
Mike is voting for "Wally" for Finn's Doll, but first I have to convince Finn that his doll will actually be a boy.
He is not really sold on the idea yet.
Alas, there is time...for convincing!

Ahhh, a winter's afternoon never looked better..

After a busy morning with kids-ours and a couple of extra buddies, Wren announced it was time to get back in her "Jammies on" after being in clothes for 5 hours, and spend the rest of the day hanging out in the Living room. Finn followed suit...
Alas, Legos, trains, dolls, playdoh are the order of the day.
As for the Mama, first a double shot of espresso and then a session of Christmas crafting...

here below then are one of the perks of staying home that I can truly enjoy on a winter's morn!

The Golden Girls!

Irene, Moni and I (and NO KIDS) met in Golden for a weekend to celebrate Irene's 40th bday! And Celebrate we did. Good food, good talks, great location, good sleep, and good thrift store finds!
What a great way to mark a Milestone..



Meeting up at Bacchus Books..coffee, used books, and fog out the window (is there a better combination?)
Supper at Eleven22 Lounge a lovely grown-up place to linger. Food very nice. But, I still prefer our local dude for Indian Fare

I have a store

My batch of fresh "NUFFINS"

I am pretty stoked about being an Online Store Owner (hurray-no leaky roofs or loud tenants who may or may not hovel their side of the walk!) here i am : check out the very teeny tiny aisle of 4 products I have listed!!
It IS the thought that counts though, right!

Tomorrow I am in a craft Fair and I have been "hard at work" creating for about a month...three quarters of which I did this week. My poor house and family have been eating alot of beans and "cheesy noodles". BUT the creative Soul is fully LAUNCHED after almost 4 years of hibernation...My kitchen has been converted to a sewing room and every other room has been terribly affected. Not to mention other grown up family members.
no names to protect the innocent.

However the kids have been blissfully happy as they play lego in every room, and cause general mayhem whilst I am in a sort of sewing stupor, or rather a sewing euphoria.
Another thing I have long been working on is a little series of children's "dressy Drawers" (I know shameless self promotion, here we go!) I collected-for 2 long years) the tops of orange juice cans. Then I drew a a bunch of little paintings of children's clothing and have made some good use of velcro fasterers and..TADA..check out how happy my kidlets are! They can now find the right drawers to get dressed and to help their dear mother put away laundry..in theory!


New for this week-Wrenny is potty training herself, only wants to wear "unnerwear" and has a whole wall of stickers to prove it! Finn commented on Wrenny's hair the other day when seeing her pony's were lying straight down after a few hours under a hat.."your Pony's are sure sad today" said he.

Mike helped the kids build a real snowman this morning-with carrot-very charmed are the kids by the snow. No picture of the later on-fallen over-melted snowfellow and big Finn tears.