our christmas card this year...

It’s been a year full of fun (trips to the coast, mountains & Portland),

love (11^th anniversary),

beginnings (kindergarten!),

art (Merra is very liberal with what she considers a canvas),

crafts (always with the crafts:),

activities (soccer, running, ballet, hockey (well, he tried it…), baseball, swimming),

heartbreak (we miss you, Don),

small victories (no trips to the ER in 2009, she typed with 15 days left in the year & hope in her heart),

big victories (Brian’s first half marathon!)

& huge victories (Go Ducks!).

Through it all we have continued to just

laugh when things are funny,

cry when things are sad

& hold on to each other.

What else are you gonna do, right? :)

This Christmas & in 2010 we hope that you keep the people who aren’t here in your heart with good memories

& that you love the people who are

near you the best way you can.

God bless you & your family,

always with love…

The Gulkas

Brian, emily, Quinn & Merra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i had so many projects & pictures i wanted
to show you all before christmas
but as usual i'm off doing stuff instead of posting about it :)
maybe next week...
maybe next year...

:)

have a wonderful weekend!

:)

how i'm spending my christmas vacation: as the dvd spins

friday........night: harry potter & the half blood prince (first 38 minutes)
saturday...afternoon: freaky friday (lindsey lohan at her finest)
.................night: harry potter & the half blood prince (last 115 minutes)
sunday...afternoon: you've got mail
...............evening: the santa clause (with the kiddos..oh, tim allen!)
...............night: funny people
monday...morning: the holiday
................afternoon: the santa clause

note: all adult (PG & R-ish) movies that are viewed
during child awake hours
are watched by me, emily ruth,
on a laptop when i am relatively alone
(rest time, folding laundry, organizing my art space, making stuff)
& paused when my kids enter the room...
though i do know all of the 'afternoon movies' forward & back
so i know when it's okay to leave it running
(meg & tom are chatting online)
& when i need to lunge for the pause
(hugh & is discovering renee's absolutely enormous panties (3:40))
it's rather amusing to watch me dive for the space bar,
i would imagine...
(i've been hearing some lovely british accents lately,
can you tell?)

:)

focus! focus! focus!

blurry or not
it's clear to me...
this is what makes the holidays.

:)

ps
thankfully, there are some photos
that are in focus
& don't make our kids look like they
need to sit under a bilirubin light...

the measure of a tree...

so i had a little idea...rolling around in my head
for a week or two...
& finally i found the time to try it out
(it was 2am, but you know, i found it...)

so here it is
my little crafty christmas ode
to the teachers in my life...

i'm selling it
& another in my little etsy shop...
pop on in, if you find a few minutes
(hopefully way before (or way after) 2am :)

here's to finding the time
to do what's rolling around inside our heads...

:)

et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...

this is how my nights have been looking...

craft of choice
(fabric, wood, paper, etc...)

tools to manipulate craft of choice
(sewing machine, glue gun, scissors, etc..)

always some ric-rak nearby
(it makes every thing cuter, sweeter, funner, etc...)

treats
(hidden from elves, husbands, passers-by etc...)

gilmore girls on the laptop
(season one, season two, season three etc...)

keeping me up until all hours
(1am, 2am, 3am, etc...)

making me super full
(of happiness, inspiration, dark chocolate covered raisins, etc....)

:)

this last weekend was a busy one
& full of fun!
two sales, three classes & a photo shoot!
whew!
photos soon...

:)

in control (top)...

i heart tights.

(even if they're not always straight)
:)

confidential to girls who aren't tiny:
fred meyer has tights for you!
they are long
& expandable (nicer than saying wide?)
& cute!
& not a billion dollar$$$$$

confidential to girls on a budget:
i haven't had tights in so long...
they seemed like a luxury
(hello pooooor girl)
but the day after christmas they were half off
so i went for it & hello cute!
i should have bought a few more...
in retrospect this 'confidential to'
is not that helpful since they were only
half price the day after christmas
but fm does do coupons a lot i have noticed...
i never use them, but i might just have to start...

confidential to people who are not girls:
i don't really have anything for you here
unless you want to buy your girl some tights...
sorry, maybe next post...

:)

ps shoes & skirt (which you can't really even see
but i want to mention anyway)
are both from goodwill...
another heart.

:)