In keeping with the handmade tradition that I started last year, I have been working feverishly on a handmade gift that I finally finished!  Yahoo!  And this is why I have not been paying enough attention to my blog lately.  I committed myself to finish this caplet and I needed every spare minute and then some.  I think it turned out great.  If only I had uploaded the photo and realized that I was not in focus before I packaged it up and sent it off.  Either way you get the essense of the caplet.  It took me seven days to knit.  Non-stop knitting (as in during naps, and evenings, only stopping long enough to get in my reading time before bed) but alas it is finished.  I think it turned out well and can’t wait to see it on the person it was intended for.   Now, back to my pumpkin hats.  I have another order of four to do up before I can even think of doing some more for my shop.  I guess next year I will start much earlier if I want to really stock up on them.

My next handmade gift is a gift close to my heart.  I gave the gift of my photography.  I know this has been my life long dream to be a photographer, but I truly wanted to start giving some of my photography as gifts because it is the reason I take photos to begin with, to share with others.  So these too were packaged up today and sent off, both are the same photo, but because they are framed differently they look a little different.  I hope to keep on with my new tradition of handmade gifts and am already organizing my Christmas list.

And just because we were laughing and having fun the other day, here are two happy photos of J and Apple.  I am so blessed with happy kids that I just had to share.

It is here on the eve of the first day of school and wee Apple’s first birthday that I get to post a photo of my J with a missing tooth.  His tooth had been wiggly for a while and when he woke up on Saturday morning he said, “My tooth has gone crazy!”.  It was sticking straight out.  About an hour later after he played with it for a while it gently fell out into his hands.  I for one was very happy the way this played out because I have memories of tying a string to a tooth and slamming the door and blood pouring out of my mouth for hours.  But, not for J.  He put it in a container and waited until bedtime for the Tooth Fairy.  And is now waiting for it to rain.

Hubby and I told him since he just got a lot of fun stuff for his birthday to put his money away for a rainy day.  Every morning this past week he has woken up and said, “Oh Man, it’s sunny again”.  So if it rains tomorrow, I see a trip to the toy store for us.

This past Labour Day weekend was the perfect way to round off our summer.  We had beautiful, no gorgeous sunny and hot weather, something that was lacking for a good part of the summer.  We cleaned up the pool and went in instead of our usual shutting it down for the summer.  We lazed around and had a dinner party for my Mom’s birthday and attended the annual street party, meeting our two new neighbours one directly beside us (with a boy the same age as J) and another directly across from us.  We are thrilled with them both as we have not had the best luck with neighbours in the past but it would appear that our turn has finally come.  All in all it was the best way to say good-bye yet again to summer.

Tonight, J is anxiously awaiting his first day of school.  And although  I just found out that I had thought he had had a different teacher than he does, I decided to let it go even though I do not like the one he is getting.  She is pretty close to retirement and I don’t exactly enjoy the way she talks to the kids.  All the more reason to volunteer this year and keep a close eye on her.  That and the fact that J’s best friend is in another class was a little tough but, it might be good for them to be apart for a bit at school, it will make it all the more fun when they play outside of school.

And little Miss Apple.  Well, it is hard to believe that a year ago,  I was not convinced she was going to arrive at all and the next day was as asking you all for prayers that she would be born soon.  Here we are loving every minute of her being with us.  J has adapted to his big brother roll well and she is not giving him a break.  She is walking, running and climbing.  Her words are coming in along with her teeth.  She surprises us every day and we are so thankful that she was given to us.  I am sure I will have some fun photos to share of her first birthday as well as some first day of school ones, tomorrow.