let's try this again

Where did the time go?  School started, Thanksgiving and Halloween flew by and now Christmas is right around the corner!  There has been a lot of activity in the Little Papercuts house these past few months, and while none of it is directly work related, a good chunk of it is craft related.  Which in my books is a good thing and a step in the right direction.  First of all I'd like to say a very big thank you to everyone still following this lil ole blog of mine.  I've left her deserted for quite some time, but I'm ready to give her a bit of much needed love and attention.  So where do I begin?

I could ramble on for pages about our summer, reminiscent of essays written upon returning to school about 'How I Spent my Summer Vacation', but I won't.  Our summer was relaxing and filled with very little things to do on our list.  That's it.  The kids were happy to return to school, and believe me, so was I.  You all know me well enough by now to know that work is still on hold.  The miniest papercut is still at home, making messes and getting into more mischief as each day passes.  But I wouldn't miss a second for anything.  I'm really lucky.  I have had the amazing privilege of staying home to watch all of my kids grow up and be hands on.  So work can wait.  It's only until next September, and I'm sure the time will pass quicker than I'd like. 

So what else have we been up to?  I'm happy to say there has been quite a bit of sewing and a whole bunch of paper craft in the works.  Halloween and the mini papercut's 3rd birthday provided me with a HUGE artistic outlet.  Pictures and stories will be following shortly, but for now it feels good to be back.  Dipping my fingers in the creativity pot has put me in the perfect frame of mind to get back to work.  Happy and excited.  Yup, that's about right. Hope you guys are ready for what should be a great year :)

empty pockets

Yikes!  Today I realized that all of my contacts in all of my e-mails have been deleted!  I'm sure I inadvertently did it somehow (darn you iCloud), but now I'm left with empty contact lists.  I had hoped it was just a little bug, but it looks like all of my contacts have been completely wiped from all of my devices...cell phones, laptop and iPad.  Poop.  To anyone who is currently on my e-mail list or has requested to be updated as to my working status, please click on the link in my profile and get in touch with me.  I apologize.  Technology is not my friend :(

playing catch up

Hi everyone :) Did you miss us? I've missed you all, but am glad to have returned to this little old blog of mine. It's been a really long time since I've blogged about anything! I feel so busy, but also feel like I'm doing nothing (if that makes any sense at all). Is it possible to not have a minute to sit down to relax and catch my thoughts and at the same moment feel like I haven't gotten off the couch all day? Even now, as I try to write to all of you my mini papercut is trying to serve me tea on top of my laptop keyboard :)

So, Little Papercuts artwork is on hold at least for another year. I would like to get back to it earlier than that, but the realist in me knows that with my tiny little terror still in the house any kind of paper artwork will have to wait until she goes to kindergarten (thankfully when she starts, kindergarten will be full day as opposed to half day or alternate days!). However, all crafting has not ceased in our house because that would just be crazy :) I can't wait to show you all what we've been up to, but it'll have to wait for now...the mini is talking to me on a play cell phone and waving something in front of my face. I guess some things never change;)

we apologize for the interruption + now return you to your regularly scheduled program

You may have noticed our extended absence from the blogosphere. I apologize to those of you whom have emailed or commented and have not received a reply. Things have been 'busy' to say the least. I will get back to everyone as soon as possible :)

When I last blogged I had mentioned I would be possibly returning to my beloved artwork. Unfortunately things didn't progress the way I would have liked and every thing's on hold again for the moment. In all honesty, work is at the very bottom of my list right now. It's funny how having an incredibly hectic and fun filled summer can really put everything into perspective. In just a couple years my miniest papercut will start kindergarten and my eldest will be getting ready to go to high school. I think I need to enjoy them while they still need their mommy :)

But, that doesn't mean their will be NO artwork altogether! We've been doing some fun art projects around the house and we'll definitely be sharing. We love all our followers out there and hope you'll keep on following our crazy life:)

Stay tuned for more of your regularly scheduled program...

let me catch my breath!

Our house is buzzing with activity now that the kids are home for the summer. We've been so busy that it seems like they've been off for over a month already, it's hard to believe it's only been a couple of weeks! So far we're spending a lot of time outdoors, but we haven't started our park hop yet. I guess I'm not the only one who's a creature of habit in this house...my kids like to go where they know too:) But the Mr. + I have big plans for the next 2 months to keep the kids occupied and interested-a fishing trip, indoor water parks, outdoor amusement parks, a trip to the cottage and possibly even a short road trip too! Hopefully there's enough time to squeeze it all in, and have a bit of time to relax as well.

NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS!! I'm in the early stages of working again. Yippee!!! OK, I'm not going full force yet, but I can see the possibilities and I am elated!! Yes, I have done some artwork:) The mini papercut was somewhat co-operative, but it was still a challenge trying to find time and space to work with her climbing all over the place and trying to stand on all of my beautiful paper. But I'm not complaining! I'm just so happy that I proved to myself that I could do some work again, under time constraints, and still manage my little one who was trying to wreak havoc amidst it all. I'm hopeful that this is just the beginning of more to come :) I think a pat on the back is well deserved!

park hop

I've decided to try something new with the kids this summer. We try to spend as much time as possible outside, but we always go to the same parks, the same walking trails and the same libraries. But a few weeks ago I came across an article challenging parents to take your kids to a new park everyday, basically getting out of your comfort zone, literally. I thought this would be a great idea since there are an abundance of different parks, and splash pads in our area, but we never really venture out into new territory. I have to admit I'm one of those moms who finds a park and sticks with it. Hey, why fix it if it ain't broke, right? But I think the kids would see it almost like an adventure to go to a new place everyday, and I'm making a conscious effort to make sure that we are spending most of our summer outdoors as opposed to being couped up in the house playing video games.

And to get things rolling, as far as being outside goes, we've managed to make it to the farmer's market and the splash park a few times already. The mini papercuts are out for the summer as of next Wednesday, so let's hope I can get everything mapped out by then! And fingers crossed that the weather co-operates too! :)

{embrace} the camera thursday

You may have noticed a bit of an extended absence from us. No reason really, just catching up on everyday stuff. Plus I don't want to bore everyone with what I bought at the grocery store!! ;) With school coming to an end for the summer and the kids finishing up all their regular school year lessons, we're ready for a REALLY relaxing next few months...hopefully :)

So here we are, the mini and me, getting set to do a little shopping before the big kids are home from school. We haven't embraced the camera in a while, but I hope you've all been participating with Emily :) If you haven't joined in yet, then what are you waiting for? Grab your camera and your munchkins and take some pics together...believe me, they'll love you for it!

system malfunction

It finally happened. My computer is on the verge of crashing and I've been spending the last few weeks clearing all of my photos and files onto an external hard drive. That's a lot. I have roughly 4 years worth of pictures of the kids on my laptop, and a few years back when our first computer crashed I had the first year of my son's life on there. A friend of ours saved most of the pics and videos but a lot was still lost. I think I have everything cleared from my laptop now and I'm shopping for a new one, so for the next few weeks there will be very few pictures accompanying my blog posts.

I know, boring but bear with me because we've decided to revamp all the bedrooms. That's right, all 3 at the same time. The painters should be coming within the next week or so to give us an estimate on the kids' bedrooms (they have striped walls that need to be sanded, and unfortunately I cannot do it myself with a little one attached to my hip) and once the rooms are painted the real fun begins! Even though we did most of the master bedroom/nursery makeover just a little while ago, I never really got around to fully completing it and have recently changed out the bedding for our bed and transformed the crib into a toddler day bed. Stay tuned folks, we're in full on decorating mode now :)

happy easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We hope you all are having a wonderful holiday weekend :)

{embrace} the camera thursday

That's us doin' our thing. My squirmy wormy who loves to be upside down and me:) Hope you all linked up with Emily today to share the camera love!

a year + a half

I meant to post this last week and completely forgot! Here's my little lady hamming it up for the camera :) Wow, how time flies! She definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. Loud and boisterous but still sweet and silly too. Yup, the miniest papercut is growing up fast, and we're enjoying every minute of it!

chandelier envy

Image via ATELIER Abigail Ahern

I love chandeliers, but because we live in a condo with concrete ceilings, and we're planning to move soon, I don't want to spend the money or the effort to have something hardwired. Not to mention that I also do not want to drill any holes in the ceiling that I cannot fix. So I admire from afar the beautiful chandeliers that hang in so many others' homes and wait patiently for the day when I will have one too. Sigh.

Image via PBTeen

We are currently doing a mini makeover on the eldest papercut's bedroom. She's 9 years old now and has most definitely outgrown the pink and green stripes I had so lovingly painted for her when she was 2. All the furniture is in, and we are in the midst of choosing paint colours, but something is missing. Can you guess what it is? Yup, a pretty chandelier. But instead of sulking about not having one I have decided to make one out of cardboard. Light enough to hang from fishing line suspended from the walls as opposed to the ceiling, and relatively simple enough to make with a toddler running wild underfoot :) It may not have any actual light, but I think the final product will make a stunning statement in the room, don't you?

hop to it

No, we didn't hijack a toy truck. We're prepping for Easter this week, getting goodies ready for all the cousins we'll be seeing over the holidays and readying ourselves for a visit from the Easter Bunny:) The kids are excited to go hunting for chocolates, and resume playing video games (they both gave up video games for Lent, which was no easy task, especially for my son), and we're all looking forward to having a nice long weekend.

The older papercuts have been painting eggs at school as well as participating in an Easter play about Jesus, and we'll be doing some craft projects on Good Friday since they'll both be home. But the mini papercut and I have been hopping around town shopping for all the presents for the other kids. She's been surprisingly helpful, but maybe it's just because she thinks all those toys are for her. Hope you're all having a wonderful week so far:)

{embrace} the camera thursday

This is rare...I'm actually posting this on the correct day, and it's a pic of the whole family :) Did you remember to embrace the camera today? Well head on over to Emily's blog and share the love! Oh, and a big congrats to Emily and her family on their newest addition! Elsa looks like such a sweetheart, and you're all so blessed!

confessions of a shopping momma

As a mom I'm always on the lookout for great deals, whether it be groceries, household items or clothing. But while shopping for clothing or just simply browsing, I find that I naturally gravitate towards anything kiddie related before looking for anything for myself. Since I spent most of March at home, only really venturing outside to grocery shop and do school taxi runs, I felt like I deserved a little bit of retail therapy.

It's funny how having kids really changes the way you shop for yourself. When I look for a purse I make sure there's lots of compartments for sippy cups, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes and snacks. When I try on shoes not only do they need to be comfy , but I have to be able to run after a small child in them. Jeans need to have a rise high enough that when I crouch down to tie my little ones' shoes I'm not giving anyone a free show with a view of a plumber's crack :0

So how did I fare on my little shopping spree? Pretty good! I bought a purse that fits all the necessities for my munchkins, jeans that cover everything they should and even some goodies for the kiddos. So here's a little something I want to say to all you mommies out there...treat yourself every now and then. You all definitely deserve it! I bet your kids and hubbies would agree ;)

a spoon full of sugar

So, after being sick for well over a month I thought things had finally gotten back to normal. Well, sort of...for me at least. Unfortunately after getting back to almost 100% my poor little guys all got sick :( Yup all 3, all at once. But the worst is over and everyone is well on their way to a full recovery.

And now what's next for Little Papercuts? Right now I'm playing it by ear. My miniest papercut is proving to be my most challenging child yet. I thought by now things would be moving along smoothly on the work front...juggling a small child and papercut artwork should be a breeze (ha, ha,ha). I did it when my son was about this age, so no problem, right? Umm, yeah, tell that to my crayon covered wall. My miniest papercut is certainly a handful (wow, that's an understatement), and the crayon on the wall is just the tip of the iceberg. Lets just say that in the 18 months she's been alive, she's probably spent more time in timeout than both her siblings combined! She's a spitfire for sure:)

In the meantime I've been trying to figure out how to fit a fourth bedroom into our cramped apartment. I'm looking for something temporary but stable, and at this point I'm stumped. I have a few ideas, but nothing that really seems doable. All suggestions are more than welcome:)

huh, did you say something?

I wish I could say that I've been away for 3 weeks because I've been super busy with artwork, sewing and a bit of a bedroom makeover for the eldest papercut, but I would be fibbing. Unfortunately I have been sick for the last 3 weeks: 1 week of a cold and 2 weeks of an ear infection. Yeah, that's right, and EAR INFECTION!!! I'm not going to go into all the gory details, but let's just say that it has NOT been pretty around here! See that sweet little face, yeah she's definitely up to no good! It's amazing how much trouble she got into since I could only hear out of one ear. But things are getting back to 'normal' just as the bigger kids start March Break, which is good news for us all:) We'll see how our week progresses!

sesame street love

You have to watch this video!!! The mini papercuts and I absolutely love this song, and I can guarantee if you have little ones, you'll love it too :) Such a great message, and a cute video to boot! Good job Sesame Street and Will. i. am. ! Enjoy!

sick sixteen

My little Zoe-bean is 16 months old now and she's still crusty with a cold. Sick. Yuck. This is the first time she's been sick like this, runny nose, cough, phlegmy...you get the picture. But amidst all her miserableness (is that even a word?), she's still got super sweet goofy smiles, and her big open-mouth wet kisses, sure to make everyone else sick too! But look at that face. Gotta love my little monster, she's growing up so fast!

{embrace} the camera thursday

Wow 2 Thursdays in a row, we're on a roll! So yeah, I'm not in the pic, but here's a glimpse at what a typical evening in the Little Papercuts house usually looks like...kids in their pj's playing video games with daddy, and the mini attempting to join in too:) Oh, and yes, everyone's homework is done BEFORE getting in front of the TV! Go post your pics and link up with Emily and spread the Thursday love:)