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Monday, December 31, 2012

For auld lang syne...the highlights of 2012!

In January we enjoyed the small blessings:
DSC_0787 
In February our youngest middle child turned 1. 
DSC_1144 - Copy 
In March we enjoyed an early spring. 
7028552631_9878fd75ff_z 
In April we said goodbye. Love you, Grandma Erwin. 
April 
In May we adopted 5,000 daughters.
May 
In June we had our only family vacation of 2012, in the form of VBS, a week of enjoying daddy all to ourselves.
vacationJune 
In July we got naughty in the park. 
July 
In August we celebrated our brand new 4-year-old. 
Aug 
In September we went to the fair. 
Sept 
In October I held on to and remembered fondly my last week of September.
Oct 
In November I unveiled my first painting.
Nov 
In December we saw our greatest, yet smallest blessing of late, a promise of a wonderful 2013, to be sure.
Dec

For auld lang syne!
________________________________

Welcome 2013...

I'm about to start a new painting, based on Valentine's Day. 
We're turning 29! Last year to enjoy our 20s. 
Eisley will be 5. 
Violet will be 2.
E or P will be born!

Oh so bittersweet is this thing called time...

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

As for Christmas cards, this is all you get this year



Today I received three Christmas cards in the mail. In fact, we've received a lot of them this year! One of them was from my sister {love you, Bea, but we both know the year YOU are all on top of Christmas and I can't even send a card is the year of the Twilight Zone--really, I was impressed and jealous}, complete with a letter and a photo montage of her family. I sort of can't believe I didn't get to it this year, the Christmas card is one of my favorite things to plan...

This is the reason:


I'm 50 shades of exhausted, people. 

I'm 10 weeks pregnant now {yay!}, due mid July, and I'm very happy and excited. Unlike my two previous pregnancies, I'm not having the bad morning sickness. With Eisley I vomited so violently that blood vessels burst all over my face and Justin was accused of beating me up. With Violet, I couldn't brush my teeth without  gagging and retching. With #3, I just have slight nausea here and there--but what's the worst for my #3 is that I'm a total zombie. 

Seriously, don't laugh, but it's hard for me to find the energy to walk across the room right now. 

Maybe we should have planned #3 a month earlier, because I have 2 weeks of 1st trimester left--the end is in sight, but unfortunately for Christmas traditions, I'm out for the count right now. 

I've just given up on all my plans. There are Santa gifts ready, and Justin has helped me make fudge {read my condescending and braggy fudge post here} but that's about it. 

I'm not complaining! I'm just saying: we're scraping by on Christmas this year. Doing the bare minimum and that's it. Blame the baby if you must, but really, I'm okay with this. Really, I just want to go to sleep right now and wake up when it's January 1st and I'm 12 weeks, a time when the umbilical cord takes over and I typically feel great again. Almost there!

On a positive note, this time around I feel less guilt because Violet and Eisley have each other. Last time, poor Eisley went ignored from weeks 7-12 while I lay on the couch with a faux hangover. They play well together, it takes a load off for me right now.
*
Tonight in their bath, Violet got a little rowdy toward the end. She tried to ride Eisley which somehow turned into her getting Eisley into a headlock. My Eisley is so good with tolerating the abuse her ginger sister doles out on her. 

In a strangled, yet cheerful voice, Eisley said, "It's okay. She's just my best friend."

It was pretty endearing...despite the headlock. 


We are feeling very blessed and excited to have another little best friend on the way. Eisley is over the moon. Violet doesn't get it--yet--but we are expecting Santa to bring her an American Girl Bitty Baby {with red hair} which will be less for playing and more for teaching her not to put babies in headlocks. 
*
^ There's your Christmas letter for ya. That's all you get this year. ^

Oh yeah, Justin's job is going great. Eisley is 4, Violet is almost 2, and I'm exhausted.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Salt Dough Decorating

Ready to make salt dough ornaments! 
Yesterday I had Justin drag up the good old folding table from the basement before he left for work. I thought it'd be a good day to do something fun with the girls. Wednesday is our Monday, you know.
{Off topic, Justin recently got his Wednesday work days shortened and gets off work at 3:30 now instead of 7 p.m. We're so glad with Advent services coming up and such. Yay!}
Viv adding the flour
We whipped up some salt dough, which is incredibly easy: 1 cup salt, 2 cups flour, and 1 cup warm water--knead for 5 minutes and you're ready to play.
Cutting out salt dough ornaments 
I was surprised that neither one of them tried to eat it. It would have been an unpleasant taste, very salty!
Salt dough heart
Oh how I wish ALL dough was as well behaved as salt dough! It is the easiest dough I've ever worked with, which makes it perfect for little ones to play with.
Rolling our salt dough 
I was curious how this type of cookie cutter would do with salt dough--would it stick? Nope. Turns out salt dough is perfect for this sort of cookie cutter, the impressions even withstand the baking and they make for perfect painting ornaments.
Salt dough ornaments to bake 
Viv had a total conniption fit over the kitty cookie cutter. We had a time out or two, I'm not sure what her problem was. Sometimes it's discouraging when you're trying to do something fun with your kids only to have one of them melt down over it... oh well, that's life as a mom.
Kitty cookie cutter
Maybe that's why I got the stink eye? I'm not sure what these looks are for. Sheesh. If looks could kill...
Scowls
Once the ornaments were in the oven baking {200° for 3+ hours until dried out} we had plenty of dough left over to play with. And play we did.
Playing with salt dough 
I need to do these hands-on activities more often. We're hoping to get the girls a sensory table for Christmas so we can explore all sorts of new things together.
salt sough snowman 
Later that night we got nude and painted our baked ornaments with glitter paint. Bath time followed. I want to sew them some cute art aprons.
Painting our salt dough ornaments 
This morning they were all dried and ready to be hung on the tree. Can you guess which one is mine? ;-) Yes, it's hard for me to watch my girls do something creative without taking part myself. I love craft time as much as any other 4-year-old.
Salt dough ornaments drying 
I used to want a "pretty tree" with all color coordinated ornaments. But now I find myself making exceptions, proud to hang these creations on my tree, as I'm sure many parents do. Let's just be honest, their paint jobs are...atrocious. But they're supposed to be, they're 1 & 4! And my kids made them, so they're beautiful to me! I love them.
Names & dates on our salt dough ornaments
If you have older kids who can paint within the lines, these ornaments can really be quite pretty and VERY cheap to make. {Another reason why I've given up on having a fancy tree, ornaments can be expensive!}
My snowman :) 
The Pies were so excited to hang their creations on our tree this morning. When you have little ones, you have a distinctly decorated tree: pretty on top with all the breakable ornaments up high, but decorated quite haphazardly on the bottom.
Violet hanging her ornament 
I'd love for them to make these every year and see how their art work progresses. In 10 years, we might have a very eclectic looking Christmas tree ;-)
Eisley decorating 
Although it's already very strange looking, rattling and shaking throughout the day because a certain naughty kitty can't stay out of it.
Stella in the Christmas tree

Alright, off to feed my neglected children lunch. 

Cheers,
Heather

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving Greetings
First, does anyone know where you can find 1/2" diameter Advent candles? I'm half-considering dipping my own purple and pink candles, by golly.

A little while back I picked up this vintage Fenton candle bowl at the antique mall. It's jadite, it's hobnail, it's basically everything I love in a vintage piece. And it was a steal. My first thought was that it could be an awesome Advent wreath...if only it had one less candle hole. But I texted my fellow vintage-loving friend whom I knew I could trust for sound advice {hi Kellee} and she said no one would ever know there was a 6th candle hold if I threw some greenery in there. Brilliant.  
Vintage Fenton jadite hobnail candle bowl
The problem now is that I have no idea where to find 1/2" purple and pink tapers. Life is rough.

Second, Justin and I are decorating for Christmas early again this year. Pre-Thanksgiving. Why? Because we can! {Fake tree.}

So tonight we're doing the traditional Erickson tree-decorating thing. Basically that means dinner will be snacking on crackers and port wine cheese, olives, and smoked oysters while playing The Christmas Revels CD and drinking egg nog. Look, it's tradition. I have no control over how I was raised. 
Tree decorating dinner
Third, how about these vintage Christmas linens, eh? The hand towels still have 93¢ Duckwall's tags on them and I was shocked to find the tablecloth is still unused with it's original tag also. I'm thankful for vintage linens and all the elderly people who preserved them for us. {Thank you Dorothy, thank you Eugene. I love you Florence, and you too, Archie.}
Vintage Christmas linens
Finally--because it's not like me to do a blog post without sentiments--I just have to say that I'm missing my grandmother right now as we find ourselves in the holiday season. Holidays have a way of highlighting someone's absence. 

For a few weeks there I could pretend my sister was still up in Longmont a mere 45 minutes away. But nowadays, it's hitting home that she is all the way over in the Carolinas doing whatever it is they do out there for Thanksliving. {She addressed Thanksgiving today on her blog too, and yes, the monkey bit IS true.}

I have a fond memory, however, to share from last Thanksgiving. Grandma was a good sport as my silly family staged a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving photoshoot:
finalfinalthanksliving
My family has fun together. This is one good memory I have from last year that I'll be holding onto this year. Oh yes, we did dress the baby up as a turkey.
thanksliving Cherish the ones you love this Thanksgiving and this Christmas season.

XOXO

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The story of my first painting...

The Story of my First Painting 
I didn't really want to post my painting here without giving a little background as to why I even decided to paint something in the first place, so lucky you. You get a whole post of paintings here...

To understand why I decided to start painting, it might help to look back at my family history. My great-grandmother Erickson was an artist, and I'm sometimes told that I'm very much like her in many ways. I guess she was a creative soul too...also, I've been told we share the same pointy, ski-slope nose.

My great-grandmother Erickson painted this portrait of my father as a toddler, probably in 1959:
Bradford Erickson by E. Erickson 
She had an impressionistic style, I think. I have this painting of hers hanging in our living room:
Painting by E. Erickson 
So many of you might know that my father is an artist, but you might not have known that it goes further back in our family than that. 

Though I was too young to remember my great-grandmother Erickson before she died, I did grow up watching my father paint. Throughout my entire life, I've seen a countless number of canvases morph into works of art by my father's hands. This is one of his paintings from a few years ago:
His Old Vest by Bradford Erickson
His Old Vest oil on canvas
by Bradford Erickson
And another one of his recent works, my father uses oils most often and I love the colors in this one (though I've seen his watercolors, pastels, sculptures, and even furniture and font design during his days of earning his art degree when I was a child).
landscape1

So I suppose creativity is in my blood, though I will never be the artist my father and great-grandmother became. My reason for showing you some family paintings is to demonstrate how I was immersed in art growing up. When my family vacationed, we'd occasionally hit up places like Disneyland, but more important we'd head for places like the Norton Simon Museum all excited to see that Degas sculpture of the ballerina. You know, things like that. I didn't always appreciate it at the time, but I certainly do now.  

That said, for as creatively inclined as I've always felt, and despite making things with my hands for as long as I can remember, I've never tried painting until now. At the ripe old age of 28, I finally decided to try it, and here's why (of all things)...

One thing you do not know about me, I LOVE primitive Americana art puzzles: 
Primitive Americana puzzles 
I have a closet full of these puzzles, most of which I thrift, and I love to do them, especially seasonal ones. My mom always had a Charles Wysocki (or like) calendar on the wall when I was growing up, and though this art might be considered campy to some, when you really start looking at these paintings, you just have so much fun staring at all the little details. 

Here is a Halloween puzzle I did last month--and this is what really started to give me a hankering to paint. A painting by Jane Wooster Scott, who is one of America's most reproduced artists according to Guinness. 
Jane Wooster Scott 
It's funny to me that despite my artistic upbringing I never really wanted to paint anything until I started doing these primitive Americana puzzles. Maybe I've found my niche, finally? 

Like with all art, there is a place for this style, which is in the same spirit as the works by Grandma Moses and Edward Hicks. For some reason, I'm drawn to it. Like I said, they're fun to look at, but also full of nostalgia. 

Plus, this style of art is very forgiving, so maybe that is why I was willing to take the risk? Idiographic, my dad calls it, in that all you're trying to do is get the idea across and not get into realism. Similar to the way children draw, and that's what's fun about it. 

So my first goal when I set out to paint a Halloween painting in this style was to find a muse, and I found one in this house. An old Victorian just a few blocks away from us, I've always loved to look at this house:
My muse 
Then I really bit the bullet and purchased some supplies. I honestly had no idea if I would be able to complete a painting or not. But I started to block it and paint anyway. I had to try.
blocking my first painting 
So how did it go?
First, it takes a lot more concentration and skill than I ever realized.
But most important, I really enjoyed myself!
I'm telling you, I had so much fun doing it, I can't wait for another blank canvas.
At the same time, I feel like I gained a deeper understanding of my great-grandmother Erickson and my father, just by doing what they did.

Now I know why my dad would slurp his spit and grunt while focusing so hard on certain brush strokes. I found myself doing the same thing. And I get why he would stand several feet away from his painting, and just stand there. And stare. For hours. I get it now. Again, I found myself doing the same thing.

Finally, I'm excited to paint more, but I also know now that I have a lot of things to teach myself and a lot of practice ahead of me. I already learned so much, just with this painting...
Me painting my first painting

But I've gone on long enough.
So without any further explanation or chit chat about it, here it is. My first painting:

Halloween Night by Heather Erickson
Halloween Night 
acrylic on canvas, 14 x 18
by (me!) Heather Erickson

If you wish to see more details you can click on the painting and zoom in, but here's a few shots of the details...

This was my little homage to my grandmother who passed away this past spring. A lot of these primitive Americana paintings show horse and carriages, I wanted mine to be a business carriage so I decided to use her name.
Mary Kay's Gourmet Apples
In the distance, two little ghosties enter a covered bridge:
Ghosties
These two little trick or treaters were stolen right out of a Jane Wooster Scott painting. I decided to add them to my painting and make them my own.
Trick or Treaters
And the house, again, was inspired by a house a few blocks away from us. Next, I am thinking of maybe painting our own house at Christmastime. We'll see...

Either way, I had a great time, I love my painting. Though it's not perfect (this is another thing I found myself wondering, how does an artist ever decide his work is done??? You could add to and refine it for, well, forever) it is certainly better than I'd hoped, being my first go at it and all.
Halloween Night by Heather Erickson

{I'll be asking Santa for some quality brushes and acrylics now that I know I want to continue.}

Thanks for taking the time to read this post!

XOXO,
Heather