IF-Glow

Hello!  This week the word for Illustration Friday was "Glow."  I almost decided it wasn't going to happen, what with Christmas and all, but in the end, I just really didn't want to miss one, now that I've started.  I'd love to do one every week for at least a year, before I take any breaks!
Anyway, here it is:

Inspired by my friend's Advent Spiral, where all the kids hold lanterns and walk a spiral through the snow for the Solstice.  Unfortunately we missed it, as it was on the same night as the Goulden Family Christmas Party, but this is sort of how I imagine it would have gone :)

Griffin's First Christmas Concert

Here it is - Griffin's first pre-school Christmas Concert.  As you can see, he was really REALLY good at Jingle Bells.  Once you start, it's hard to stop.  Check him out, front and centre:

Favourite Christmas moment of the year, right there!

IF-Snow

Hello again!  This week, the Illustration Friday word was "Snow."  My first instinct was to try and do something that could be a Christmas card one day, but then I came across this quote by Matsuo Basho (as seen in the picture) and this image blasted into my head, so I had to do it.  Hmmm... Not very good for a Christmas card, but fun, nonetheless.
This week Holly once again refused to nap while Griffin was at preschool, so I pulled out the pencil crayons (less mess).  I actually think they are perfect.  Hope you like it, too!

Cookies, Candles, Carols, and Teeth

 Hello!  I only have a moment before I have to go and pick Griffin up from preschool, but I thought I would pop in and say hi.

 We've been busy little beavers around here - making Christmas cookies, decorating Christmas cookies, eating Christmas cookies... Needing to make more Christmas cookies, because the first two batches are all gone, and Christmas is still a week away.
 I finally accomplished something I've been wanting to do for what seems like forever - I made some dipped beeswax tapers.  And I'm in love.  The whole process (which I did with a couple of girlfriends and a house full of kids) was wonderful - start to finish.  And the candles!  It's so much better burning candles you actually made yourself.  All the usual goodness, and then some.  Now I just need to get the beeswax from my own bees... well, a girl can dream.

 Griffin has been singing Jingle Bells all around the town.  Down the street, through the grocery store, at the checkout.  Everyone was smiling, in the whole store.  Hopefully he will actually sing it in the preschool Christmas concert!
Holly has grown two teeth.  One on top, and one on the bottom.  She likes to click them together, and grin.  She definitely has a mad wicked grin - something like I imagine her father had, in his early days.
Anyway,  I gotta run now, but I'll be back in the next day or two with my next installment for Illustration Friday - I just finished it today, and it's pretty fun.  Till then!

IF - Explore

The word this week on Illustration Friday is "Explore."  I started sketching and ended up with the idea of a girl flying around on the back of a bird.  Griffin thought up the kites.  This one I did with acrylic paint, and the computer.  I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

Post #401

Hello again!  Somehow I missed it, but that last post was #400.  400 posts on this little bog!  Somehow it seems like more and less.  Hmmm... we've seen some pretty big changes around here.

I'm sitting here, listening to Jill Barber, Rose Cousins, and Meaghan Smith sing Christmas songs, stopping every few words to just sit and gaze at our beautiful Christmas tree, which we just put up tonight, with all the love in the world.  I know there are good days and bad days, sad days and joyful days to come, but I can't imagine life getting too much better than this.

So I hope for you that you get a few moments just like this one, this holiday season.

IF-Stretch

Oooh, just scraping in under the wire this week - I've got another Illustration Friday picture ready.  The word this week is "Stretch".  I could have worked on this a little longer (and I still may) but Holly didn't nap this week (horrors!) and I didn't ever get a good stretch (haha) of time to work on it.  Without further ado:

To be revisited?