10.31.2010

Happy Halloween, Me Hearties!

So let's talk about why it's probably not a good idea to make a custom Tinkerbell tutu by hand for Maya, out of shimmery tulle and satin ribbons. And why I shouldn't have purchased the darling green wings, matching Tinkerbell trick or treat bag, wand (which I can't even find), and sparkly silver shoes, all with meticulously glued white butterflies here and there for added beautification. Reason? Because Maya is CRAZY. She ruined everything in the first 5 minutes, before Wes could even see her. So here ya go, Wes. I got one adorable photo of her looking perfect...from behind. Her socks had holes, her tutu was crushed beyond belief (should have photographed it before), her white tights were stained from asphalt, and she threw a fit in the parking lot of our church's Trunk or Treat.

Wait. What's a Trunk or Treat?? I had never been to one, believe it or not. It's where a bunch of people get together and decorate their cars and trunks, and pass out candy to kids. In the past I thought, "Lame-O!" But it was seriously AWESOME. Finn loved it. I loved it. Wes had to take Maya home—after only 20 minutes. Boooo. Ah well, she's only 19 wild months old, that little stinker (or is it Tinker).

Here are the best shots of the night. We were the Dread Pirates Johnson...with a greenish fussy-face fairy. I decorated my car like a pirate ship. It looked great, if I do say so myself. I went all out. I even made a Neverland Map and burned the edges. I won serious cool points with Finn this year! So check out our Halloween 2010 Trunk or Treat highlights:

Wes, you were SUCH a good sport. Gosh I love you!!

I found a huge roll of paper that looked like wood. So I basically wrapped the car. There may or may not have been duct tape and thumb tacks involved...

"Trunk or Treat!"

Wes stained this treasure chest I found at the craft store. Then I glued on a "keyhole."
Finn is so excited to add it to his pirate reenactment collection.

The flags can be found at The Bee & Nie. I just made them into bunting by stapling them to black ribbon.

The map! I was so happy with how it turned out.

Who says a modest costume can't be sexy? ;)

(Finn kept saying I was Elizabeth Swan. Doncha just love him?!)

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!! Sadly Finn came down with a bad cough and fever in the night. So we will be watching the Trick or Treating through the picture window of our living room this year.

Until next year, when I will indulge whatever phase my children are going through, and dress appropriately. Unless it's Barbie...

10.30.2010

We have a winner!!

Update: Wes was able to meet his personal fundraising goal for the project. He isn't sure where the total budget stands at the moment, and they are waiting for another big matching grant to come in. But Wes was able to meet his goal for the team, which is awesome. Thanks again to all who participated and are supporting the project!

Congrats, Marilyn!! Shoot me an e-mail, and Wes and I will work out the details of your fabulous new print! Contact me at lyndsayjohnson@gmail.com
A HUGE thank you from myself and Wes for everyone who donated and entered the raffle!

10.26.2010

Original Print Raffle

Interested in possibly winning a 16x20 original print by my photographer of a husband? Visit Wes's blog HERE to find out how. Wow.

(We have the glacier photo hanging above our mantle, and it's like being in Iceland.)


10.24.2010

Please excuse my lack of blogging.

 (image found HERE)

I haven't been 100% lately. I've been enduring headaches that last for days, all strung together. I get ocular migraines. They have been my frequent companions lately. And every time I open the computer, I seem to spiral into a deeper level of one of these headaches. So in an attempt to avoid all of that mess, I've been spending as little time on my computer as possible (or just turning my brightness waaaaaay down, and looking only at the keyboard when I type, which helps a bit). So until my scheduled appointments to hopefully find steps to remedy this set-back, I'll probably be a sporadic blogger, at best. I've cut down almost entirely on all design work. And I've been an unwilling e-mailer, as well. Which is why I took down the "contact me" button in my side bar. It's not that I don't want to be social. It's just that I would rather lie in my room, in the forgivingly dim light of a cloudy mid-afternoon, while my kiddos are resting, and nap in cool clean sheets. Aaaaaahhhhhh.

On a happier note, my sis-in-law, Tiffany, has just posted a delicious second addition to her Tiny Cake Escape, HERE. Looks like an escape I might be trying out this week!

10.19.2010

Maya at 19 months

Dear Granny and Grandad,
Mom said I had to sit very still while Dad took my photo. I tried really hard. How did I do? My hair is getting so long, and I am getting new teeth as Mom types this. I am also saying so many words now! Here are most of my favorites (and I am adding more every day):

Ball
Baby
Puppy
Bubble
Puddle
Dora
Bo Bo (name of monkeys from a cartoon, so all monkeys are Bo Bo)
Tinkerbell
Dada
Mama or Mommy (rarely heard)
Bye-Bye
Hi
Oh, Man!
Bee
Eyes
Kitty
Dance
Map
Jump
Drink (Dinko)
Thank you (Thathee)
Uh-oh
Stop (with hand stretched out in front)
Whale (Ooooyeee = the sound the whale makes)
Book
Tickle
Diaper
Peek-a-boo

I am also saying small sentences. My favorites are:
"I'm a good girl!" (strung all together, of course), and "It's Dada!" or "It's Dora!" and "Stop It!" I also can be heard spouting "I want up," "A snack," "Help me," and "Get that!"

And I think it's really funny to call the dragon on How to Train Your Dragon, "PUPPY!"

BEABA Babycook from Scandinavian Child Giveaway

My mom is getting really sick of all the giveaway action going on over here. I don't blame her. :) I've been a super slacker when it comes to posting photos of the kiddos. But Maya is just so darn fast that I keep coming up with blurry shots of her. So until I can chase her down and get a solid photo of Miss Maya's cutie patootie face, I thought I'd share this. And awesome giveaway on a friend's blog:

She's giving away a BEABA Babycook from Scandinavian Child. Seriously. Go check it out HERE.

Maya pics coming soon! I promise...

10.16.2010

Super Sale

Don't forget about The Bee & Nie! Lots of super Halloween fun at new super prices (all for a super cause):
Click HERE to get a FREE sample download of some of our 2" round labels. Be quick about it, though.
They won't be available for long!

10.14.2010

Failure and Success

Sometimes people make comments that they are worried their future children will turn out like mine. Like when Maya is splayed out on the ground outside, sucking stagnant water out of a puddle...

On Tuesday Maya drizzled olive oil all over the kitchen floor. I still can't figure out how she managed to get it off the shelf. Finn watched Lego Pirates for an hour on my iPhone. At the end of that hour not only did he lose my phone, but he had an "accident" because he didn't want to take a break to go potty. That was his first accident during the day ever. Then I discovered that my kitchen sink had been leaking for who knows how long. I had to throw almost everything under there away, because it was soggy and putrefied. Ironically, I had to throw away all the trash bags. So we no longer had trash bags to throw out any more messes. And believe me when I say there were more messes.

I walked into the dining room to find this egg carton torn to itsy bitsy bits all over the train table and dining room. Finn had helped Maya deposit alphabet, number, and shape puzzle pieces over every square inch of the living room. Carpet confetti.

I didn't shower all day due to the fact that Maya refused to nap. And I can't leave her alone to shower when she's awake, because she will probably have escaped out of the mail slot in the front door by the time I am finished. And forget putting her in the crib for 10 minutes. Finn climbs in there and tries to reenact episodes of WWF. But I decided to risk it. It was the end of a long day, and I was grubby (remember the olive oil?). So I put Maya in her crib and hopped in the shower. Soon I heard Finn join her in the crib. Then, SCREAMING. Jumping out of the shower, soapy and wet, I ran (slipping and sliding on our wood floor) into their room. No real problems, just Finn annoying Maya. So I snatched Finn out of the crib, and headed back to the shower. Finn howled.

As I got back in, the shower curtain rod (which is an odd curved shape, and is bolted into the wall), fell OUT of the wall, and the curtains went with it (we need two to cover that odd curving shape). I just said screw it, and kept showering sans shower curtains. Then I heard more screaming. This time it sounded serious. Finn ran in yelling about Maya and blood in her mouth. I turned off the shower, ran in (soapy and wet again). Maya's mouth was totally bleeding. I always worry that teeth have been damaged, which makes me go all woozy. But really she probably just busted her lip on the side of the crib in protest of being in there in the first place. I cleaned her up. She refused to let me comfort her.

I sat down in front of both of them (betoweled), not moving from my guard post, until Wes got home an hour later. He was supposed to come home and take us all out to dinner. But of course that wasn't going to happen. He watched the kids briefly so I could get cleaned up. I finished my shower and just opted for PJs by that point. Separate dinners were made, and eaten at random times and places. We got ready for bed. Finn threw a fit about wanting to sleep with Dada in the big bed. Taking Maya into her room, I shut the door, leaving Finn to Wes.

I rocked Maya to bed that night in the orange rocking chair I recovered days before Finn was born. She squirmed and pushed against me. I started singing our "Sweetest Little Angel" song. Relaxing, she put her head on my shoulder, and started to doze. I turned her over to hold her like I did when she was a baby. She let me rock her for half an hour that way, her long 19-month legs hanging down over the side. She clutched my thumb with her small dimpled hand. I placed her in the crib. She gave a happy sigh, staring up at me sleepily while holding her baby doll. Walking into the bedroom, I found Finn and Wes asleep on the same pillow. My beautiful boys.

Personally, I hope all of my future children turn out just like Finn and Maya.

And the winner is...

Lucky #32: Amber!

Send me an e-mail with your choice of print, and I'll ship it right out. lyndsayjohnson@gmail.com

Thanks for playing everyone! Good news on the shop: I've just reduced my prices!

10.11.2010

Let's have a giveaway, shall we?

I'm having a hard time jump-starting my day. Which actually means that I must be having a hard time jump-starting my week, seeing as it is a Monday. So let's kick things off with a giveaway! Any print in my shop can be yours! But you have to do a few things first...



For one chance to win, hop over to my shop, then come back and leave a comment telling me which item you would like to win. Please leave your e-mail address!

For a second chance to win, Facebook, blog, or Tweet about this giveaway. Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to the comment, post, or tweet.

For a third chance to win, become a follower of my blog, or let me know if you already follow in the comment section.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 13 at midnight EST. Let the games begin!


** A note on my larger posters: the Oceanic Alphabet, Forest Friends, and Insect Numbers posters. Because of a really unfortunate issue with printing, I had to pull these from the shop. I can't afford to print these posters currently. But hopefully I will be able to find a solution soon, and offer thm again. I LOVE these posters, and am sad that I am unable to offer them at this time.

10.09.2010

Lazy Day

Wes is away this weekend. My house hasn't entirely succumbed to my children's determination to thwart my cleaning efforts from yesterday. And I don't feel like getting dressed just yet. Or doing my sink full of dishes. (It's really only half full...) So lazy it is!