Introducing...

A hip new coffee joint that just opened up in town...The Oliver Rain Cafe.

Please be patient with the barista. We'll be happy to prepare your espresso beverage, though we can't guarantee that it will taste any good. The learning curve is steep. The steamer will heat milk for a delightful hot chocolate however. We have mastered that skill.

It's a wonderfully relaxing place. You can play games.

Occasionally the house musician will play the guitar, or so we hope once he masters a few more cords.

There's also an in-house artist. All art is for sale.

We already have a few regulars. These kool krazy kats are ALWAYS around.

But they never get any coffee. Get a job you lazy bums.

Care to stop by for a cuppa sometime?

Ways to annoy your cat #6

Yes it's true. They make Snuggies for dogs too. Lizzie and I couldn't resist buying one for grandma's papillons. However, we first subjected Oliver & Rain to the torture of the snuggie.

His laser vision burnt holes into my t-shirt.

He looks a bit resigned...poor thing.

Rain manages to look dignified and annoyed at the same time.

And we all emerged from the experience nary a scratch.

When dreams come true

One of my holidays wishes came true!

I now have my own personal barista. Her name is Lizzie. And she brews a mean cup of joe.

May all your holiday wishes come true.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from the house of OliverRain.

Randolph the Red-Nosed...Horse??

I'm not entirely sure what this horse's name is but Randolph suits for today. Lizzie whipped up the nose and antlers in mere minutes. She amazes me sometimes always.

It's the first official day of Christmas holidays and we feel most decidedly relaxed today. We are finishing up some last minutes Christmas gifts and are heading out for some supplies for some cookie making today. Most of the items on my to-do list are checked off or tossed off the list completely. I had to be realistic.

Right now it's snowing lightly outside and all feels right in the world. It's almost Christmas.

Fantasy Wish List 2009

I managed to knock a few items off my to-do list yesterday. Today was a sleep day after my night shift, so few things are being accomplished, but I'm not going to stress out about things. In fact, I've decided to turn my thoughts to other more exciting matters, like what I REALLY want for Christmas.

A housekeeper. Or maybe that should be a house manager. Personal assistant? What about a wife, yeah, maybe that's it. Here's what I would expect this person to do:

• Laundry
• House cleaning - dusting, mopping, vacuuming, fridge and stove cleaning, everything
• Iron my sheets, preferably 1000 count linen, scented with lavender perhaps
• Schedule doctor, dentist, orthodontist, hair appointments AND make sure I remember them
• Menu planning and grocery shopping

How does that sound? Anyone looking for a job? Admittedly, the pay wouldn't be great, but I'm sure I'd be a lovely employer.

Espresso machine. I'm worried that I'm spending Lizzie's college fund on lattes. I REALLY need one of these for my house. Stat.

Personal barista. Why should I have to make my own drinks? Maybe I'll include this is the job description for my housekeeper/house manager/personal assistant/wife. Latte art is optional.

Time. I wish I could add more hours to every day. Or maybe just give up sleeping. I'd get much more accomplished.

Weekly manicures and pedicures. The dry air reeks havoc on my hands and feet. Thousands of dollars in personal maintenance? It's my fantasy, right?

A fulltime PERMANENT position at the hospital in the neonatal care unit. Have I mentioned I love my job? I just want to be there more often. Casual work is okay but not ideal. I'd like a bit more security.

Well, there you go. Some of my wishes are perhaps more attainable than others, but it's fun thinking about.

Lists

Here's the one thing I have learned this holiday season. It is impossible to complete a list if you add something new to it everyday! I think I should just stay off the internet. I seem to get too much inspiration and there's just no way I can finish it all!

My packages are almost ready to go. I just have to through one more thing in my mom's box before I seal it up. Hopefully it will still make it.

These boxes are already to go. Post office here I come!

Everything looks to be finished here. I really need to learn how to take better photo.

See my little Charlie Brown tree in the corner. Sad story. Last year our tall tree started smelling suspiciously of smoke a week or so before Christmas. We stripped off the ornaments and tossed it in the yard. Where it remained until Spring (it was very snowy last winter). Finding a new tree so close to the big day was difficult so we were left with this little gem. Last year it lived on an end table, but this year I was inspired to use one of my garden urns. Maybe next year we'll have a full size tree again, but I kind of like this look. Maybe it can be a second tree.

The little numbered bags are Lizzie's advent calendar this year. I put little gifts like earrings or crafts in each bag. Other years I chose activities but we were always too busy to complete them all, so I've gone all materialistic. It's fun though.

Here's what's left to do on my list...

• Finish my mother-in-law's present. I can't tell you what it is because she checks my blog!
• Complete two more snowman kits. This was the inspiration for my kits. This blogger has great idea and she shares a lot of her patterns and templates.
• Sew a table runner for the dining room

Source: www.bhg.com

• Finish my outdoor pillows (pictured above) for the front porch. Thankfully they are winter-themed and can stay out until spring, so I'm not in a huge hurry to complete them.
• Purchase one more gift for my father-in-law and some gift certificates for some other friends & family
• Figure out what to put in my co-workers' stockings. Any ideas for 20 cheap gifts?
• Plan my Christmas dinner menu
• Bake some cookies with Lizzie
• Laundry, laundry, and more laundry
• Make this for a cute little baby girl I know
• Find a top to go with the black sequined skirt for Javier's work Christmas Party
• Find a babysitter for Lizzie for Javier's work Christmas Party
• Help Santa find a few more stocking stuffers

Yikes! I'm tired just looking at the list and I'm sure it's missed something. Hmmm... I guess I should stop blogging and start doing!

Tribute to Bollywood

I made a conscious decision earlier this year to post fewer photos of myself and my family. Sometimes rules must be bent though, because I have to share this photo of Lizzie at her recent skate competion.

She skated to The Cheetah Girls' One World, a song that has a definite Bollywood vibe. I made her outfit for her, which she will never wear again. The sari was a bit distracting for her, so we devised a new outfit for her next competition.

Doesn't she look lovely?

Enter at your own risk

Proceed with caution. What lay beyond this door may shock you.

I'm not exactly sure what happened. One minute I was a mild-mannered crafter calmly putting the finishing details on some homemade Christmas gifts...

The next minute I was a wild-eyed, hard-breathing whirling dervish frantically flinging balls of yarn, yards of fabric, and other miscellaneous crafting related goods into the air with wild abandon. The pretense was that I'd misplaced some stencils and one of Lizzie's carefully (carelessly?) "hidden" Christmas gifts, but in reality I think for a moment I completely lost control of my sense.

Eventually, the missing items were located, but honestly, I don't know where to even begin in restoring order to my craftroom.

I'm sure that many of you privileged to have your own designated crafting areas are facing similar scenes at this busy time of the year. I'm not alone, am I?

Brrrrr

Baby it's just plain cold around here these days. I've been spending a substantial portion of my past two mornings snuggled under an afghan with a warm, fuzzy cat, a latte, and a book. Note these are mornings where I SHOULD be working on Christmas presents.

So how cold is it?

Well, it's cold enough that both my lions need scarfs. Funny, no one even blinks anymore when they discover my latest project is cold weather clothing for inanimate objects.

Here Mufasa with his wooly muffler...

And of course, Simba (natch), has one too!

Maybe I did get a teensy-bit carried away when I knit a toque and scarf for my gnome.

But doesn't he just look so pleased?

On a completely different note, we are still in our old house, though our dreams of the river house still aren't dead. We are waiting for the buyers of our house to sell there's before we can confirm everything. So the waiting continues.

Ways to annoy your cat #5

Pretty much self-explanatory.

The face says his feeling about the whole thing.

December 2

Oh me, oh my. I thought that my poor little blog had finally gasped its last living breath. I've been busy, yes, but I've also suffered from a serious lack of blogging inspiration or maybe that should be motivation. Most notedly, my lack of motivation has been due to the great quantity of mental, physical and emotional energy spent establishing myself as a nurse.

I've been finished nursing school for almost a year and it's been far more difficult transitioning to a practicing nurse than I ever imagined. During the first six months, I seriously questioned my reasoning for choosing nursing as a career. I felt completely unprepared, perhaps I was a better suited to the student life, than the health care industry. Then it got a bit easier. Then I cried and cried and cried and wondered if I would ever just "get things" and fit in with my colleagues. But I got through it and I am so happy in my chosen profession. I love, love, love my job.

So I'm back, blogging friends. I don't know how often or for how long it will last, but for now, I'm inspired. I hope you will all come back too!

But enough about that. I have been working lots yes, but I've picked up a few new hobbies/interests as well. Here's a bit of what I've been doing since I last wrote.

Basking in the sun in Barbados. Unfortunately we are only seeing sun these days when we go to a tropical destination. Our lovely wintery grey sky has come to stay I think.

Zipping through the trees. Again Barbados. So lush and green.

"Growing" a household forest. Thank you Martha.

Constructing houses. I've long been interested in donning a hardhat and framing some walls. Alas, I've been concentrating on the paper variety. I used a Martha Stewart kit for the template and a variety of scrapbook papers for my little village.

Bird watching. What lovely glittery birds I have nesting in the trees around here.

Operating a home-based taxi service. For just one very busy 11-year-old girl. I should stick one of those magnetic signs to my door and charge for my services.

I HAVE NOT been baking. But I should start soon. Christmas is only 23 days way! Yikes.

Mmmmm. It feels good to be back. I missed blogging.