Stockings!!

stockings!! P.S. if you like our hangers, they are available at Pottery Barn, in oil bronze too!

closer up! It was fun to do the relief thing, but a little tricky in the felt.

Isn't that fireplace just begging to have something above it!! I know, I'm working on it.

Well I am finally finished making those stockings! They didn't take that long, it's just that they got tossed to the side a bit. Kent doesn't have one...yet. because he couldn't decide what he wanted on his. But I think that we finally have a solution to that.

So the girl ones are white and cream. And the boys are brown and cream. They are felt and faux fur. Super simple construction, but I like the look! 

We've been busy!

We have been busy having quality time around the Cranmer home! Vienna and I made some squares the other day. We also made some paper christmas ornaments to hang above the kitchen table (pics to come) 

Oh and oranges! We have been eating a lot of christmas oranges!!! Seger can't get enough, fast enough!
And the kids can't get enough of the snow!! A great perk of having a husband with a snow plow is one massive hillof snow in your very own yard! Kent takes all the snow off our street and pile sit up and then carves steps up the back and a little slide down the front. The kids are of course in heaven! I love this christmas season when we get to see those rosy cheeks with beaming smiles!

Ramblings

SO many of you don't know me. And maybe that is the fun part about having a blog that you get to hear from and reach out to many people outside of your everyday sphere. Which most days for me means my main floor. I enjoy that there is this whole world out there that can be accessed in the touch of my keyboard.

However I have been finding myself feeling as though my actual little world isn't as large as I thought it was. I am not sure if I am just in a personal impass of closing in because so much in my life is an unknown right now, and I always feel better when it feels like I have some control. (can you say OCD)

I guess I feel as though people are shying away from me. And I am trying to soul search to see if it is me that's pushing them, or if maybe it's just that I am losing those connections. Maybe I just need a good kick in the pants to get out there socially. (I have never had this problem before. I have always been a social butterfly) So bear with me as I discover the root to my new found feeling of being left out.

I do however on a very positive note feel really blessed to have Kent home so much right now. I have even become accustom to having him around, to the point that he has to go do snow removal, and I feel like I did when we were dating and we had to say goodbye. I hated having to sleep by myself, even though that is all I knew! It just seemed wrong when I was so in love to say goodbye to my other half. (how's that for sappy!)

I also feel really blessed that I have been able to spend more time with the kids doing 'good mommy' things. Like crafts and baking, and playing in the snow. (pics to come) I love those munchkins SO much and can hardly wait to hold this new one. Which by the way I have totally popped and now sport a cute little belly, for all to see!

Now don't get worried about me (Mom, Nicole, you know who you are) After all this could just be a fresh batch of hormones, and it's late at night.

family pics

Recently we had our good friend Brad Heninger of Heninger Photography take our family pics. We could not be more thrilled!! He managed to capture some gorgeous images despite the nasty cold wind that day. So here is a peek at a few faves from our first ever (i know, can you believe it) professional family portrait session. We'll be due by next fall for a new set of pics with our new baby BOY!! You heard it right! 

I had an ultrasound this past week to check on things. I am 14 weeks but the Dr. thought that my uterus seemed HUGE, or as he wrote in my chart 'bulky' for how far along I was. Well everything checks out just fine. And while we were there we asked how soon you could see the sex of the baby, and apperently that isn't a problem at 14 weeks when it's a boy! So now we are really going to be searching for just the right name. We are horrible with the boy names!! Wish us luck!

Santa is coming to town!

My good friend Nena is joining in the giveaway event from Sew mama sew. She is giving away this wonderful Santa Clause glitter canvas that will have you kids believing that Santa really does know if they are being naughty or nice! Enter to win on her blog HERE. There are so many chances to win, but alas random generator has the final say. Good luck to you all!

Black and White

This is a few more shots of the black and whites from my Conor Katie photo shoot. This was such a fun day! Oh and I know you two haven't seen these yet...... because, you totallly left the disc that I spent half the day getting ready for you to take!!! I'll send it in the mail! Enjoy a little more of a preview.

Roller Coaster~

So life has been interested this last week. The good news first. Kent and I were able to go away for our 7th anniversary this past weekend and stay over night in the Baker Creek Chalets. They are little cabins in the middle of nowhere, with no phone no TV and it's heaven! It was so nice to walk around holding hands and acting like a couple of teenagers again!

So now the not so good news..... Kent this last week was laid-off. A little scary. They made it clear that it had nothing to do with his talent, just a budget thing. The economy is not god for the housing industry right now. We are optomistic though. We have a side business in it's 5th year doing commercial snow removal. So we are feeling so blessed that we have that in place. This could be that push we needed to make that full time for Kent like we have always talked about. I really feel as though Heavenly Father has prepared us for this. I have been having success with photography and my quilting and the snow business must have been in his plan for a long time! 

* side note, we really are positive about this upcoming change!

It is however been a bit of an adjustment having my husband home withme and the kids. I have realized that I really have a specific way of things running through th day with out totally thinking about it. But when he 'messes' with the plan..... I totally have to learn to chill! Things are slowly finding a balance. The kids of course love not having to say goodbye everyday!

Today, however is bringing projects to fruision! I am workignon those stockings that I have been talking about. SO you should hopefully see some pics in the next day or too! Here's to some happy crafting!

Christmas is HERE!!

CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas is in full swing in our home!! And has been for a week or two now! I really do love christmas. Maybe it's the way I was raised. My Mom loves christmas!!! I remember doing craft fairs, and hunting for the perfect gift for my siblings. When we were really little my parents did a 'Mom and Pop shop' in one of the rooms in the house and dressed up silly and put themselves into character. I think my Mom was 'Milly' but that could be faulty memory. They had all kinds of goodies for us to choose from, and usually some candie dots for ourselves, you know the ones that were rainbow colored on that roll of waxy paper. Well we loved it! It gave us a real sense of the spirit of christmas, to give to others.

I think that one year I thought I was being such a sneeky 7-8 yr old. I went through the consumers catalogue and put a 'code' next to each gift I was going to purchase for the members of my family. Unfortunately everyone else goes through the catalogue too, and my 'code' was their initials. Oops! I was young!

Well I love christmas! I love to focus on our Savior's birth. I love to have the kids act out the traditional and sometimes chaotic and funny nativity. I love to see my kids eyes light up when we drive by a house with lights and they exclaim " it's christmas!" likes it's in everyone of those little LED bulbs. The best is the tree displays over the past couple of weeks in the stores. My kids are soooo excited about this season with me, we haven't even really gotten into the gift part of it to much. Oh and 'Baby Jesus' should be proudly displayed at my Mom's front door here soon for all the kids to swoon over!

I am so excited to see what they pick for each other this year.  I am so excited for them to go through their old toys and decide what to give to children who don't have so much. I was explaining this concept to Evan, that other kids don't always have christmas. He was SO sad for them.

So here is to christmas! Dancing to christmas tunes, yelling jingle bells, making chocolates with family, finding ways to serve others, my Mom's amazing fruit tea on the stove 24/7 and being with family, all the while focusing on the true spirit of christmas, and remembering baby Jesus.

I hope that the wonder of christmas is filling your home soon! We are in heaven!

P.S. I'm making official stockings for my kids this year, finally, so keep posted for those!

Sneek peek!

It's been awhile since I had something creative of my own up here. Well I just did a photo shoot of my brother Conor and his wife Katie yesterday and here are some of the shots I've edited so far. Take a peek! There are so many more fun ones to get to!

2nd entry of the day!

I don't normally post twice in the same day, but this called for an extra entry!! OLD RED BARN CO. IS GIVEING AWAY ANOTHER QUILT!!! Actually make that 3 quilts!!! This is the woman that inspired my last giveaway and well based on those merits, you must check it out! The fabrics are amazing! It's as easy to enter as mine was. Post on her blog HERE. you can earn extra entries by posting the button in my sidebar (code on her blog) and if you make a video you are golden for entries!! Good luck to all of you, because I think I might just win!!

AGAIN!!

Well thanks for all the pregnancy good wishes. I am getting the odd day off from being sick! Yay! 

But today brought other surprises! My sweet little Seger (it seems to be all about him lately) fell and hit his little noggin on the fireplace. It has almost no ledge to it, but he found it! I heard the cry as I was about to go into the bathroom. I went running, I found him face down trying to get up but having a hard time. The back of his head damp. I picked him up immediately to see a pool of blood on the floor. We grabbed a clean dish towel as fast as can be and applied pressure while calling Kent and my Sis in-law Lindsay. The troops arrived and off to the clinic. We got the bleeding to stop by the time we got there. He still had a pretty good gash though! It was so cute because he was beside himself until he saw Kent, then he was a total happy beaver! The boy loves his Daddy. Anyways... they got us in pretty quick given it was a blow to the head and him being little. We avoided stitches!!! Again!!! And they were able to glue it shut. He didn't like that much. So for now we are a stitch free family..... until next time. Boy it seems to be just drama on my blog lately! So sorry! Oh and side note. Evan knowing I like things clean grabbed a cloth while I made calls and applied pressure to Seger's head, and totally cleaned up the blood on the floor. What a sweet helper. He really wanted to be useful.

Whew! Lets hope that THIS is the last major injury for awhile!

Side effects of being pregnant...

So I have been a *tad* nauseated with this pregnancy to put things mildly. I have some really good days, but oh do I have some bad days! Well yesterday while in a nauseas state I thought Seger would be happy toplay upstairs for a bit. So I let my 14mth baby play in the toy room, know that he would very soon join the rest of us downstairs, but have a change of pace. I had the bathroom door closed in the hall the door to the toilet in the master closed (he loves toilets!) We are safe to go! Well As I began to put water in a pot for dinner I'd say a couple hours later I noticed I couldn't get any hot water?? I had just ran the dishwasher, maybe? huh? well Kent had just arrived home and so he checked the furnace, all good there. We were puzzled? Kent went up to change out of work clothes and calls me upstairs I find him in the ensuite bathroom. The HUGE soaker tub was minutes from over flowing!! Seger must have gently put the tap on before he joined us downstairs.

This is just one of those moments that I realize how foggy my brain is from hormone headaches and throwing up! I didn't even know a tub was running! Obviously. My sweet husband was kind enough not to utter the word 'neglect'. But boy oh boy was it good that he came home when he did!!! Yikes the flood that would have been! And I just have to thank whoever invented that overflow drain thingy because boy did that buy us just enough time yesterday!!

Giveaway bug!

This giveaway isn't mine, but a friend of mine thought it was such a great idea that she is doing one. Stephanie from Mama Drama is giving away this cute quilt to help a friend and a sweet little baby with a heart condition. You can read all about it on her blog and donate a dollar or two if you wish at the same time as entering for the quilt! Check it out!

Belated Halloween!

This halloween I wish I could say that I made the kids costumes, but alas I did not. It turns out that I am not actually 'Supermom', Newsflash! But I do think that they look darling! I cannot wait for the next year or so when we transistion over to the kids coming up with their own costumes from scratch. I will of course help the execution until they are old enough to do it themselves. It's just that this year Kent and I were reminicing about when we were kids. Your costume was a hodge podge of old dress up stuff, or made by your mom, but NEVER bought! My Mom encouraged us to think up our own most years. I seem to remeber my sister being the most inventive. Nicole was a paper bag princess one year, AUTHENTICILY ! I don't think she wore more then her undies under those safeway paper bags and I do believe that a stapler was a great aid several times thta day at school! Those are the things I can't wait for. To see my kids use their imaginations fearlessly! But for now I will just love their cute little selves in their chosen, store bought costumes. Evan was so excited to be this giraffe you could hardly contain him! Vienna Was a bumble bee. And bee's don't say "buzzz" they say "beeezzz" according to her! And then there is Seger!! He is so cute walking with those chubby thighs in this penguin costume I just couldn't get enough!! The two were just a perfect fit. The little tail on the back was pricless with his little chubby guy waddle.