The long afternoon.

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, when your child(ren) are in a constant, slow whine, all...day...long? Yes, you know what I mean. Well, I had one of those yesterday. It was like having teeth pulled. And yet I still managed to witness moments of sweetness - how is a child capable of this? Of being a little wolverine who kicks and hits and is mouthy and then the next moment is caught up in just a breathtaking moment of...sweetness? I think I lost that capability long ago. It seems like when angered, (or when I feel like a wolverine myself) it takes me a looong time to simmer down. To collect myself. To be sweet.

Because it was such a long afternoon yesterday, filled with the aforementioned kicking and hitting and whining, I tried to do some fun things with Grace. Like, bake Christmas cookies while listening to Christmas music (don't worry, I'm not a freak, I know today is Halloween...but I was desperate and these are only destined for the freezer!). Or how about bubbles, and counting ladybugs (that are literally everywhere these days), or what about jumping in the leaves? It made for a very long afternoon, trying to come up with more and more fun stuff. Because frankly, our afternoons are often more mundane, with quiet play and crafting and maybe a little Curious George (book or tv, either is great). Here are a few images of those fleeting moments of sweetness.Yes, even when faced with a four year-old wolverine, I can be convinced to sit in the leaves myself. And be sweet.

From a year ago.

Looking back at the photo archives, this was an image I took one year ago today. We had made glass bead and wire silverware for MOPS and I decided to try my hand at glassware. Not bad, all in all, though they sit in my cupboard without being used. I have since made other sets mostly as special orders from others. I still find the silverware fun to make but I have not fallen in love with the glass. Pretty, yes...but too painstaking! I recently was asked by someone if I'd be interested in doing something like 400 glasses like this - on a pretty tight budget as well. I had to say no...for me to take on that kind of challenge I would really have to love it. And those, well...I don't!

Notes from Sunday.

1. Recharged for the week.
2. Made a dessert which my dad described aptly as "death in a pan" (oreos+butter+cream cheese + powdered sugar+cool whip + vanilla pudding )
3. Had a spatially-challenged cashier who insisted on throwing cans of beans and chicken broth on top of bread and chips. Grrr.
4. Turned a semi-deaf ear to excited household chatter revolving around the new Guitar Hero.
5. Saw what looked like snowflakes whiz past the window.
6. Discussed future product ideas with my mom.
7. Completely spaced the coming deadline for the Daisy troop fundraiser (oops)
8. Enjoyed a house that was completely dusted and vacuumed this weekend.

These are all pretty random...I also managed some awesome hugs, a few kisses, received a flattering compliment, and counted my blessings. What have you had going on today?

Five things I'm loving today.

I'm inspired by Amanda's post on the same subject - here they are, in no particular order!

1. Wearing dresses over jeans. Or leggings, like I did the other day. There is really no mystery why little girls enjoy dresses so much, so naturally this mama should get in on some comfy goodness as well!

2. Having a wholesale order that is just about complete. Buffe, if you happen to read this, it has been so fun working with you! Best of luck at the holiday mart...can't wait to see what next week brings!

3. When the the pigs, chickens, panda, zebra, and baby elephant all get along and play so nicely together.

4. Having a kid who is just as much into these books as I am. Seriously. It's cool watching a kid grow up. Fun when they start to walk, awesome when they start to talk. But when they learn to read? Oh my. Amazing . The conversations we are able to have, like the other day when he asked me "Mom, who is your favorite character in the Harry Potter books? Besides Harry. And Hermione. Or Ron. They just don't count, mom, because everybody loves them. Me? I like Dumbledore. And Dobby. But my friend Jag? Well, he likes Percy the best. Who knows why. So, Mom? Who do you think? " And on and on we go. So totally fun.
5. This face. Specifically, as it lays cuddled up against one of my nice Pottery Barn pillows. She will snuggle up to anything soft...we've even caught her literally hugging stuffed bunnies and kitties.
Tell me, what are you loving today?

Will it float?

If you've ever watched this show, you've seen their silly bit called "Will it Float?" The basic premise is, of course, tossing heavy and randomly weird objects into a pool and seeing whether or not, in fact, they sink or float. Goofy, yet mildly entertaining and frankly always a little surprising to see that, say, a giant tub of olive oil does float after all!

Why am I posting about this? Well, we had a little version of our own "Will it Float?" going this afternoon and it was actually pretty fun! Instead of a pool, we used plastic food containers filled with water, and rather than giant vats of olive oil or bowling balls or other weird and heavy objects, we instead used little plastic bits from toys and various office supplies.

The result? Well, I am happy to report that the marbles from Hungry Hungry Hippo do float after all. As does a pencil, a leaf, and a plastic moose. The sinkers? A rubberband, a crayon (though another one did float...strange!) and erasers. I know we used other things but they escape me right now.

If you're looking for a great time filler or small scale science/prediction experiment to do with kids, try this one out! And if you happen to have a pool and a huge vat of olive oil...well, then, more power to you!

Busy times.

Lots of busyness going on around here lately. School work, scouts, drum lessons, popcorn sales, preschool, not to mention the ongoing battle with at least acting like I keep a decent house (sadly, I don't). And, of course lots of craft work for me as well. Truth be told, there have also been big chunks of time devoted to finishing up Harry Potter number 7 (for the, um, third time? I know, I'm a dork) and watching some fave shows on the trusty dvr.

The craft work has been exciting for me lately, I must admit! An ongoing wholesale order agreement with a fellow crafter in Indiana, as well as a new venture into the baby boutique business! I just sent a haul of stuff to Urbanite Baby in Philadelphia, where some of my new Beacon Hill things will be showcased (alongside lots of other cool, hip baby products!). I'm psyched about this development...really, every day I get to say to myself, this is so much fun. Yes, that means I am exactly where I should be at this moment.

Here, a look at a few of the things that just flew off to Philly...

a selection of bibs

some blankets

burp cloth sets

Hope you're having a good week. Wishing you all a place in your day, your week, your life, where you have the joy of telling yourself...this is so much fun!

A new product.

Button Necklace - Mod Red
Originally uploaded by j.hoferdesigns

I've wanted to do button necklaces for so long - I'm happy to have Beacon Hill as an outlet for this kind of product!

Preschool field trip - the fire station!

As soon as we arrived at the station, the alarms rang and both fire trucks headed out! Luckily "Paramedic Frank" was still around to talk to the kids ...

Hopefully this is the only time these guys will ever see the inside of an ambulance, too.