Janu-arty

Is there anything more maudlin than Christmas decorations in January?  All of our Christmas is hiding in storage rooms where it belongs, but I just couldn't put away the tree in my room.  Ari reminded me that it was time for the tree to go, but it doesn't have decorations on it, and it's snowy and pretty, so I told her I was thinking of it as my "Winter Tree" and leaving it up.  She said, "Okay, Mom.  But I bet a LOT of people who see it are going to think it's a regular Christmas tree."  Anyone want to be in January denial with me?

Another way to ignore the inversion and the freezing cold temperatures is to do art projects.  Break out the paints, fabrics and craft kits!

This was a few weeks ago.  All 23 cousins came over and did a self-portrait for Grandma and Grandpa.  The littlest kids' (babies) portraits were done by their big brothers and sisters.  I don't know what happened to the pictures I took of the finished mural, but maybe they'll turn up.  I first painted the backgrounds one of three colors so that the finished mural would have some continuity.  We arranged the self-portraits from oldest to youngest, and it is so cute to see the progression.  I love how it turned out.  I never help kids with their painting, but with little kids, I do take it away when I think it's done, because they just keep working on it until it's a brown blob if I let them.

Ruby painted this fish for Grandpa.  Love it!  Lexie did a painting for Grandma that I don't have a picture of.  It turned out really great.

Ellison and Ari had a painting day.  Ari sketched a fairy and E did "The Scream."  Fabulous!

Xanthe (makeup artist: Golda) wanted to copy a Monet painting of sunflowers.  His are prettier than Van Gogh's, I think.  Xanthe's are a little drippy.  Must have been a rainy day for those sunflowers!

Scott oversaw the soapmaking craft.  It was fun! 

I don't know what came over me, but my friends brought a pillow pattern to lunch last week, and I had to make one.  (Without the pattern, of course.  No patience for doing it right.)  It was great fun on a Sunday morning to cut an arrange the pieces until Scott said in a mocking voice, "Oh sorry I didn't get my lesson planned, but I did make the cutest pillow!"  He was right; I was ignoring the Young Women's lesson I had to teach.  I put the pillow away until after church, and the lesson went well.

 While I prepared my lesson, Araceli made a scripture bag for Xanthe.  She used the soft, fluffy blanket that she had accidentally burned a hole through when she draped it over her lamp for a ceiling in her fort.  Oops.

This is Ari's Sunday night creation.

And a sample of Xanthe's photography. We have dozens of close-ups of Xanthe's nostrils and eyes, but this one of her foot is cute, somehow. I might have to delay Xanthe's photography career until she can learn to take pictures without making the camera sticky. What is she doing, licking the lens or something? I dunno.

 And finally, Xanthe's VIP poster, due in a few weeks.  She plans ahead, this kid.  I think the poster is still a work in progress.  It's keeping her busy, along with her birthday party invitation project.  Day after day, Xanthe writes notes and stuffs them in envelopes.  She calls them birthday party invitations and says, "I can't believe my birthday is coming up!  I can't believe it's almost April 10th!"  Many a phone conversation has been interrupted by an impatient voice yelling, "I can't BELIEVE my birthday is coming up!  Mom?  Mom!"  If you get an invitation that says, "MOMXANTHEESMAESEEMYLIKE," you'll know to pencil something in on April 10th. 

With any luck, a few more art days will see us through the heart of winter and into the spring and, finally, Xanthe's birthday!