Church of the Old Mermaids is on Amazon.com!!

Just when I was feeling uninspired, unamazed, and ready to hibernate through the winter, my favorite author, Kim Antieau (whom I know I've posted about before on here), has self-published her book Church of the Old Mermaids. I mentioned the Old Mermaids back here when I talked about our garden "seashells", but I've been following the stories for some time through the blog. These stories are... beauty in words. Beautiful words. I don't know, but I know what I like when I read it.

I feel my tail sprouting. Must. Go. Splash into this book. I hope that some of you will join me because I know the journey will be well worth it.

Homemade Gift (Kinda Sorta)

Annie absolutely cannot stop drawing and crafting. She wants to do it all day long, every day, and she brings at least 5 drawings or projects home each day from school. For her birthday, then, I decided that she might appreciate her very own art box. This way she doesn't have to ask me to get the crayons for her (which are put up because a certain 2-year-old has covered every single downstairs wall with doodles), and I got to introduce some new craft items to her that have been stored in my cache.

In total, this gift cost about $20 because there were a few items that we don't generally keep on hand in the house that I wanted to add especially for her. The box itself is actually my old Caboodle that I kept my makeup and accessories in as a teen. In the box we have:

3 craft punches (dog, cat, and paw print for my little animal lover)-- From my scrapbooking stash

Mini stapler-- Bought new for use in making her own booklets

Large eraser-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Pencil sharpener-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Two pencils-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Glue stick-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Safety scissors-- Bought new since we only had one pair in the house

Heart shaped paperclips-- Bought new (and grudgingly)

8 Glitter glue pens-- Bought new; the most expensive new item, but I knew she'd love them!

Crayons-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

White sketching paper-- I looked all over for a mini sketchbook that would fit, but couldn't find one. Instead, I cut up some larger sheets we already had at home.

Construction paper-- Again, small sheets cut from larger sheets we already had

Pipe cleaners-- Gathered from the kids' art supplies

Beads-- Bought new

Elastic thread for beading-- Bought new

Cinderella stamp and pad of stamping paper-- Received in a party gift bag earlier in the year

Phew! I think that's it. As her skills improve, we'll add things gradually. For now, this keeps her plenty occupied. She makes magic wands from the pipe cleaners, bracelets and necklaces from the beads and elastic thread, and has covered every sheet of paper in glittery doodles. Fun stuff!

How I SHOULD Have Prepared My Garden For Winter

Yesterday we were a little surprised to get quite the snow flurry. It was wet, packing snow too. Mondays are errand days for me, so I was out and about and thinking of all the things I still haven't done to prepare my garden for winter. Between the kids being ill, me being ill, and the rain we've had for the last week or so, I am sorely behind. Still on the to-do list:

-Rake all leaves (which only ceased falling a couple of days ago) onto garden beds
-Cover compost piles
-Find something to do with the billion and a half pebbles filling the children's sled and every single plastic pot I own
-Wash all outdoor toys and bring to basement for duration of winter
-Clean patio area
-Move large rocks from backyard to frontyard for border
-Remove hose from spigot and store
-Clean all garden tools
-Mulch blueberry bushes with pine needles

We're supposed to get more snow Sunday, but I hope that this slight bit we have now will melt before then so that I can get my behind in gear! How is everyone else doing on winter prep?