many sides of Laughfer

Why is it that sometimes your kids seem soo inconsolable and yet at other times it only takes a flashlight and a dark room???

here we are after many a rounds of "rosies" (i.e. ring around the rosie!)

Green Holiday Bliss

Here are some sweet little pics from Green fam Christmas... i only posted the nicer ones of the giiiagantor lot that we took that day. (ya know I love the digital pic revolution and all, but what ever will we do with the ten bazillion photos that it yields? --- Does anyone really do photo albums anymore??)

Anyways, I think it is soo cool to be able to catch a little glimpse of wonder on the kiddies faces in these pics (and also to be able to glimpse a little bit of my momma's sweet heart - look how excited she is to watch the kids with their presents!).
Christmas is one of those wierd times where you see so much joy and wonder.... but you also see you kid melting down over a little plastic pony that is bound to a piece of cardboard with ten thousand little twist ties.... aah!

I must share with you the sweetest moment of the day though... Mister Juden was delving into his brand spankin' new pirate ship ensemble, but took a moment to tell Lindy that "He was the luckiest boy" since he got such a cool present. Such a sweet one!

Christmas with our little Fam

Yep , yep... it seems to be a bit hard to get back into the swing o things after all the holidays and celebrations. Somehow i can't really seem to get back on track.... what it is about the beginning of the year that does this?? I always think that as soon as the rays of light break on Jan. 1st, I will magically recieve this burst of big, awe inspiring energy that enables me to start new projects and routines that tie up all the loose ends that always seem to be left hanging at the end of my very full days.... hmmm.
This never seems to become a reality in my world... perhaps I just think that these radical changes happen to people at the beginning of the New Year b/c all you hear filtering thru your news, radio, etc. is talk of change and resolution. These messages seem to seep into my head and create unstoppable reflections and nostalgia for the past years joys, but also this desire to change it all. Perhaps it is merely a desire for redemption that could never be found at the end of my own resolve.

I don't mean to blather on about my own failures and shortcomings, but hey, I know they are murking around in us all, and come on, how helpful are we to one another without uttering some acknowledgement of them.

on another note... here are some pics from our little family Christmas morning. I will post some more of fun times with ye ol' extended families lata.... Bye now, cats!

Autumn, Autumn, Autumn

There is something so addictive about little new babies. I find myself pouring over our little Autumn's every feature... those tiny toes, the ever searching eyes, itty bitty nose and so many more... too many lovelies to count.

I am thankful to have the days at home with her to drink in that lovely baby smell and the soft toughs of newborn hair.

What a lucky girl i am!

Luminaries

Tuesday night the fam packed up and went over to Sheppard Hills for their annual Luminaries event. Each house in the neighborhood lines the street with brown bags with candles.

It is so beautiful to see these long meandering lines of lights and all the gorgeous Christmas decorations. For those of you who know this neighborhood, you know how beautiful the homes are under normal circumstances and I'm sure you can imagine how big and tasteful the houses are at Christmas time.

Lavender took it upon herself to inspect each and every brown bag. She promptly notified us of what kind of candle was inside... Shouts of "Red" "Little" and "big" accompanied us throughout our walk.

These pics don't really show how magical the evening was, but here they are nevertheless...

also, you cats gotta check out Autumn's little outfit... It is the cutest thing I've ever seen (thanks Leah & Kate!)!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Days with sweet girls

Here are some excerpts of my recent days.
There is just something so fun and charming about raising little girls... like putting up their hair in pigtails for the first time, or watching in awe at the leaves blowing through the sky for the first time.
We have had such lovely days as of late.... enjoying the thrill of a new baby and celebrating the holiday season with Christmas parades and advent calendars.

So fun to be a part of little one's first things!!! God is good and we are so blessed!

We have a Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep.... We are now a family of 4!!!!!!!!!
Miss Autumn Marie arrived on Wed. 11-21 to eagerly awaiting parents and friends.

Isn't she lovely???

I will spare you cats all the ugly details of labor and delivery... I'm sure you all wanted to know about that. Anyways, here are her stats.

Name: Autumn Marie
DOB : 11/21/07
Weight: 8lbs and 4 oz.
Length: 21 inches

And a few fun facts: She sports a full head of black hair and an uncanny resemblance to big sis, Lavender. You guys gotta check out Josher's bloggie and see "the Kring Baby template pics" HA!

Enjoy the pics... more later.

Induction Time!

Here it is Tuesday and I am 1 day past my due date. Yep Yep... everything seems to be swollen now, the blood pressure is up and I now do the "contraction waddle" as Josh Green hysterically imitates. It really is sooo funny that I couldn't even get mad at his imitation of me!!!
For all these reasons, Lorie (my midwife) has scheduled me an induction date for 5am ----- yes, 5am ----- tomorrow morning. So, for all you cats out there who have been wondering and wondering when this baby is going to show.... now we know!!! hoooray!

I know that my sweet hubbie, Joshers, will be ever thankful to see all my endless nesting activities come to a sudden halt. The 2 pics posted are products of such nesting urges. The first is a baby blanket my great grandma sewed for my dad... I thought it would look cute on the wall, so I put it on canvas via felt & lots of buttons, so I could enjoy its comical and charming ness. The other pic is of 2 snails (ma insists they are turtles - but, hey, whatev) that used to adorn my toddler swim suit when I was a wee one. It also was too cute to store away, so into the frame it goes. I think they look cute! Hopefully, these little girls of ours will think of these family mementos as treasures and not worn out relics... smile.

We will let ya know when this wee wittle girl gets here!!!!

Birds, Birds... everywhere Birds!

Hey all you crazy cats... I thought I would show off the results of my distracting myself from the oncoming LABOR & DELIVERY that is headed my way soon and very soon.... dunt dunt duuuuuuh.

Yes, yes.... my due date is monday the 19th and every night seems to be THE night with all the contractions and whatnot.... Augh... I am so weary of trying to anticipate when this new baby girl is coming that I have been a busy bee distracting myself as much as possible.

These 2 little bird works have already made their way to their prospective homes, but I thought I would show 'em anyways b.c. they turned out rather nice. I really like this family of 3 that went to live with my good friend, Jess. Hope you like it, Jess. I loved making it for you, my sweet.


As to all this birth business... We'll keep ya posted!

Halloween

Here's some snippets of our Halloween... Lavender and her good friend, Matthew scouted our new neighborhood in all their hallowed gear. Matthew sported the monkey suit, while Lavender was a "pile of leaves"... I'm sure she will appreciate the originality of the costume later in life... eh eh.
I think she looks more like a Keebler Elf than anything. So cute!!!

Nevertheless, the kiddos seemed to have a great time until they reached the "scary house" down the street. There was this dude slumped down on a porch chair with hair in his face, groaning into a microphone. Matthew was hip to this scary scene at once and Laughfer said she wanted to go to the house, but then completely lost it... Thankfully her daddy was there to make it all betta.

Hope you guys had a fun and safe Halloween!!! We sure did!

The dust has settled

The dust has settled after many many weeks of chaos and we find ourselves at the happy end of a very stressful house hunt. We are no longer Chickamaugians.... so weird!
So here is our new home... a mere 8 minutes away from our former residence. Isn't it soo cute??!!!! It may not be an expansive 8 acre homestead, but for us, it is paradise!
As soon as everything finds its place, we'll have an impromptu house warming celebration... if that doesn't happen soon, it might also be a "meet the new baby" party. heehee... fyi... we are at week 37 and some odd days.... we'll keep ya posted!

Choo Choo

Hey all you crazy cats!
I just wanted to share another recent work with you guys. This is a replica of a little collage of a train roller coaster that I did for the Clothesline show. Isn't it fun???

This is the first peek... I will be putting it in my Etsy Shop this weekend, but I wanted to let you locals get first dibs on it if you would like to purchase it.

It is 8" x 8" and delightful... if I do say so!!!

Another Clothesline Success!!!!

First of all... I would like to say a great big thank you to everyone who came out to the show this weekend! It was so lovely to have some time to lazily savor the good conversation, incredible food and great weather.

Also, I would like to say another thank you to all my patrons... I am forever grateful for all your support! You made this an incredibly successful venture for me. Thanks...

I just can't say enough how much participating in this show pleases me. I love the women who make this show what it is... the artwork they create and the artwork that is their lives. It seems there is never enough time in the business of everyday to smell the roses and enjoy art, people and life. This show is about celebrating all those things. I have treasured the 2 weekends of clothesline we have had this year and can't wait for the next one.

Also, to those of you awaiting your commissioned works... I am busy busy buzzing away at them in the studio... I'll let ya know as soon as they are complete... thanks for your patience!!

Clothesline Art Show is this Weekend!!

Yes, Yes... it is Clothesline time again!
If you're wondering where this little blogger girl has been, the answer is simple: the studio. I have been buzz buzzing away finishing up canvases for this show.

As you all know from the Spring Clothesline show, this event is by far my absolute favorite art event. There is simply nothing better than spending a few hours at Laura's lovely home chatting with some of the most interesting women I have had the pleasure of knowing.

If you cats didn't make it to the last Clothesline event, you really must squeeze this into your weekend. I promise you won't be sorry.... the artwork is amazing and the people are some of the best I've known.

The hrs. are as follows:
Artist Reception: Friday 9-7-07 5:30pm
Sat. 9-8-07 11am - 7pm
Sun. 9-9-07 1pm - 5pm

For more info check out the Clothesline Blog:
http://ourclothesline.blogspot.com

Hope I see ya there!!!