It was a beautiful morning for setting up Christmas in our home 💜 Enjoy the photo dump, a la Cher, and the occasional caption, a la moi.

Brady assembled the tree immediately after breakfast, and Dekker jumped in to help him get the lights up.

While they worked on the “bones” of the decorating, the other kids got all the ornaments untangled and on hooks. It was not the smoothest, and some things definitely broke, but such is decorating with small kids!

Beard Guy and I worked hard not to cringe or micromanage.

Finally, all the ornaments were prepped, and the tree was ready to be dressed!

Big kids helped little kids, which always does my heart good to see 💜

As always, each kid hung their ultra-special hand painted glass ornament from my mom 💜

I can trust Dekker to not drop stuff now, I may have pestered him just a little.

He got me back, though, so all ended well, hahaha!

While the kids worked to decorate the tree, Brady worked on lights around the railings. We always had beautiful lights wrapping our railing, until last year, when Brady came to really need to railings. This year, we wrapped the bottom of one railing (movie theatre style) and the top of the other one that no one actually uses for balance.

I decided to leave full “after” pictures for a separate post, because the lights will all be the most beautiful as the day wraps up and it gets a little darker 💜

The kids are 110% ready to be in the holiday season! I admit that I have some catching up to do in that regard, but I will get there, and Christmas will come sooner than I anticipate, I am confident!! But it can 🙂 At least the house is ready!

Wavy: Sunny, say “butts.”

Wavy: (as Sunny) *whispers* Butts.

Wavy: *sternly* Sunny, that’s enough!

Poor Sunny, lol!

No love was lost 💜

After a pretty sizeable stretch of sickness over here, I could tell I was starting to wear yesterday. Thankfully, my evening with the kids was actually just SO nice. Silly. Low key. Fight-free. We all hung out together in the living room for the last stretch of the day. Laela and Solly pulled out the boogie boards. Her practiced his alphabet while Laela showed he and Wavy the handwriting versions of the letters.

I think I can finally confirm that Solomon is right handed!

Rowan and Dekker found… something… to do. 🤷🏼‍♀️

They were hyper but not grossly disruptive, which is a delicate balance to find, haha!

Bedtime was smooth, which I was incredibly grateful for 💜 Dekker really wanted to tuck Wavy in, lol! Neither picture is “good” but I think they’re both gold in their own way.

When it was time to tuck the big kids in, their roommates were fast asleep.

Little sweeties 💜

I am so grateful that our evening was smooth and cute. I am so fortunate to have these children. That fact is not lost on me. Neither is the fact that I am incredibly lucky to have a husband who is almost always home in the evening. But this was good for my heart 💜 to see I can still do things.

Thank you, Lord, for the strength You provide.

Todays morning is brought to you by none other than Brady himself!

Brady works a super weird shift today, which is far from our ideal, but it gives him the morning at home with us 💜 Its also a one-off work event, so it won’t at all be a regular thing. That helps both of us.

The morning together meant getting kids up and off to school together 💜 It meant morning coffee together. It meant lots of extra hugs and an extra adult to talk to. It also means that Brady can finally put the winter tires on the bus! That has been a whole ordeal, but its finally possible, and happening as I type this! Woohoo!

Meanwhile, Brady’s morning at home means he is working until well past bedtime. The kids’ bedtime, and also mine. And also his. Ugh. Not our favorite type of evening, but we can roll with it once a year. I guess I don’t mind crocheting in my bed for several hours while I wait for him to come home. I could be talked into that. I joined a “crochet along” where new steps are released every week or so, but I joined super late and have a lot of catching up to do anyway.

Its a different kind of day over here, for sure, but its been very nice having Brady home in the morning 💜 We were so spoiled for so long, spending the days together during covid, and then the time through recovery and chemo. I miss him. So this is a treat 💜

We are no strangers to fevers around here. We have had our fair share over the years of having children, but I have always been very prone to long running, exhausting fevers. Behold 🙌 Yours truly as a grandmother child, rolling out a ten day fever.

Nowadays, I have kids who fever pretty hard for decent stretches of time. As you know, we spent their school break being very lazy, limping our way through the same virus absolutely everyone we know is getting through. Such is life. Four of our five kids took that hit last week, but it has finally knocked Laela down. She is truly one of the toughest cookies.

This is as far as she’s gotten today. Laying on the little couch in her robe. She has water nearby and a bucket for barfing. (To be clear, no one has barfed. But she’s aware and nervous, so she takes it along.) Her fever is managed to a degree, but she isn’t complaining or asking for much at all.

I thought it was worth noting on here what she can stomach, because there are such specific ideas out there of what we “should” eat when we’re sick, and hers are SO different!

Maybe you’ve heard of the BRAT diet. I think its so funny that its called that, lol! But BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Bland, simple foods that are a good jumping off point for kids who are sick and don’t feel like eating.

Laela wants none of that, lol!

She doesn’t like bananas in general, so thats out. Applesauce is sometimes ok, but she struggles a bit with some textures, and thats only amped by her sickness. Rice is the same. And of all things, she specifically does not want toast when she’s sick, because to her, the throat scratching that comes with it is painful, not relieving like it feels to many of us.

Her main go-to at this point is milk. Most people say to stay away from milk for the sake of a possible upset stomach, but its all she wants, and I totally get that. Its comforting. So that one is a win for her.

Sometimes she wants an apple. Not this time around. Not yet, anyway. I wouldn’t normally offer an apple, but she swears by it. I think the crispy texture is good and refreshing, and hey, there’s liquid in there so she can have at it.

Yesterday, she had crackers and cheese for supper, which felt like a win. She ate eight crackers with some cheese on them, and went right back to the couch.

None of our kids like the standard electrolyte drinks. No diluted juice. Not even really broth. They’re milk and water kids, period. Which makes it pretty simple.

I teased a smile out of her this morning 💜 See her cute little freckle on the end of her nose? She got that one this summer. I love it.

I could fry an egg on this girl, but she doesn’t complain for a second. She just rests, watches Wavy play, and tries anything I suggest might help her feel better.

Her single worry is getting her hot lunch on Friday. I’m sure I would’ve felt the exact same way 💜

Do you remember when you were a kid, and getting mail was SO FUN? And then you got older, and it turned into bills and bank statements? And then everyone went paperless, so all you ever get is flyers? Let’s be real – mail got dumb.

Unless its something fun! These days, I’m eagerly waiting for things to come in the mail. None of them are too terribly thrilling but I’m still going to tell you about them.

I found some cute Christmas jammies for the kids for a really good price! I’ve had a bit of a miserable time trying to find them matching pjs, so I abandoned the idea last Christmas, and it definitely was still so fine. But this year I found some, and I am SO excited! They LOVE the novelty of it even more than I do, so I’m very excitedly waiting for those! But don’t tell them. They’re for Christmas.

I’m also very eagerly waiting for my Walmart order to show up, as I am less than one row away from being done a blanket, and I ran out of my color!!!! Ack!! I couldn’t find it locally, and its been sold out online for a good while, also. But recently, I discovered it was back in stock online, so I ordered it! Woot!

As I type this, I’m listening to music on our Amazon Echo Dot, and it is horrible. At least one of the speakers blew, and it is gravely and muffled. Unfortunately, my bluetooth speaker had the bass give out, and my old head unit amp and speakers that I used to listen to is also having some kind of wiring issue. There is NO way to listen to music in the house!! So during Black Friday, we ordered the cheapest Echo we could for about $35 to replace ours.

With that Amazon order, it offered us a smart plug for $5 down from $35, so we’re excited for that too!

Beyond those things, Brady ordered warranty replacements for our cracked phone screen protectors.

Aaaaand I’m pretty sure thats it! Whew!

I wish I was more organized for Christmas gifts, but I am not. Those are not on order. This is the first year in a good handful that I’m not so prepared. But I’ll get there. Our kids are absolutely NOT without 💜

Anyway.

I’ll be here.

So this is a winter day I can get behind. Its snowing consistently and beautifully, but its not miserable and blowing. Its not as cold so I slept better in our chilly room.

Also, the kids could get all bundled up for school in the garage instead of the entrance. Who knew that would be SO much easier?! We’re still trying to sort out whether to get a natural gas heater installed in our garage, or changing the electrical in there so we could run a stronger heater that way.

There is nothing I can do about that today, but its still actively in mind and in the plans.

Instead of worrying about the pressures of winter and many other swirling anxieties, today is actually going to hold things more this speed…

Lego. Music. Crocheting. Rest and recovery. I’ll see my doctor and my counsellor this week. Lots of time to sort out big things. Today, we do the small things, and I’m here for it 💜

Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful snow and the ease with which we get to spend our day.

I hope there comes a day where we can rock a holiday, or even just a stretch off of school, without sickness. But thanks to covid and masking and the lack of any and all immunities, our kids are catching positively everything these days. We’ve spent their five day weekend with fevers, coughing, achy legs, and mouth breathing. Tomorrow is back to school, and from what I can tell, I may have one school kid at home, but the rest will be good to go!

That one kid definitely without question needs a bath tho. Yoikes.

Lol! What? Do YOU want to brush out that rats nest while he sweats and cries and snots all over his own face, and by default, the hair you’re trying to brush out? No. You do not.

The positive side of sick days like these are the low pressure hanging out we all partake in. We had goals for today that got pushed back for another week or two, but thats ok 🙂 Rather, we’ve spent our days playing lego, building forts, eating simple food, listening to music, crocheting, drinking coffee, and doing some jobs here and there.

I’m very grateful that we can have these simple, low pressure days when we need them. It’s not lost on me that not everyone has that opportunity.

Happy Sunday, friends 💜

Guys. My corner is an incredible place to be. And its largely in part to how many beautiful people are in it. And I do mean YOU 💜

Yesterday was honestly so fun. I felt like a celebrity. Cher posted about me on her Insta and FB. She shared my post. I shared my post. I posted on Insta and FB stories. And you guys answered back with unabashed support and interest!

As much as it seems like maybe I just wanted to be the centre of attention, it actually took a lot of guts to put that stuff out there. Like everyone else, I have my share of insecurities, and sharing stuff like this is very much on that list. The fear of people thinking I’m an attention suck. That I’m trying to rip people off. That I’m just bored. That the items aren’t actually special, when I feel they really are. But I decided that maybe those worries can be bypassed and I could just be excited, and maybe others would feel the same!

And you guys really showed up 💜 It was awesome, and overwhelming, and SO appreciated.

The question I struggle most with came up a handful of times yesterday, so I’m just going to put it out there. These blankets take a LONG time to make. They are tedious labours of love, but I truly enjoy making them! That being said, I HATE pricing them. Its horrid. But with prices of materials going up (like everything else in the world) as well as the monumental hours that go into them, I can safely say they start at about $300. Thats for the smaller “throw blanket” sizes. They go up from there into bedspreads that would be closer to $500.

As I said yesterday, they are luxury. I don’t expect everyone in my circle to pop up and order one. I am very aware of their expense. I wouldn’t spend that kind of money on a blanket. So its VERY hard to price them that way.

This is a true joy for me.

“Scandi Birds” by Abi McIntyre (@GetYerHookOn)

You don’t have to buy from me for me to feel your support and care. It is a true honour to have so many of you in my corner.

Thank you for sharing in my joy 💜

I’ve been keeping my latest crocheting venture under wraps while I found my feet with it all, and now that I have a few projects under my belt, I’m excited to share some new things with you guys!

This new technique is called mosaic crochet, and it produces the most beautiful, luxurious items.

Each item is an absolute labour of love, but is worth every single stitch. And I do mean every stitch.

Thousands upon thousands of stitches 😅

Thanks to the crazy amount of small stitching, this method is highly customizable!

The back of the blankets don’t look like much, but they’re tidy, and there are no weird chains or loops to hook on things. They’re completely flat and smooth.

It also means that the blankets have less stretch in them than your standard crocheted blanket. No holes for your toes to stick through! Heyooo!

The borders are thick and sturdy.

In my humble opinion, these blankets are the epitome of luxury. They are thick and warm and very cozy.

The people who create these patterns are powerhouses, and I have the utmost respect for them!!

Abi McIntyre (@GetYerHookOn) designed this tree pattern, called Sholach.

Ana Morais Soares (One Skein of Love) designed the festive “Winter Wonderland” pattern.

Mosaic crochet has truly felt like a new art form. Like a new medium, even though its still just yarn and a hook. I feel it has bolstered my skills and while it goes against my grain to self-promote in any way, shape, or form, I view myself as an advanced crochet artist at this point. Mosaic crochet isn’t for beginners, and I love how much I am loving it! This is my most favourite blanket I’ve ever made! Its the Sholach pattern made in Hudson’s Bay colors 😍 Isn’t it pretty???

Anyway, here you have it, friends! I’ve been afraid to share these things because realistically speaking, these blankets will be available to sell, and they will not be a cool $50. Not even a cool $200. They are luxury, and will cost what luxury costs. I have had fear in that regard, but I decided to share because I LOVE them, not because I’m aching for sales 💜 So please, be excited with me about my new venture, and come alongside me as I sort out whatever, if anything, comes next with it!

Thank you for always being kind and supportive 💜

Hailey