The Stockings were hung...

by the chimney with care.

The Nutcrackers are standing guard, on the look out for Santa and his reindeer!

While two little kids toss & turn in bed, hoping that visions of sugar plums will soon be theirs... but all of this excitement keeps sleep away.

I feel like Christmas just snuck up on me from outta nowhere!

We've been so busy and the weather here has been very warm.

But oh, tomorrow morning should be fantastic! I know the kids will be hopping happy when they see their gifts and actually get to open them.

And later my Mom and brothers will come over! We haven't seen my older brother in several years now and the kids are so curious about him. I'm really hoping to sneak a picture of him. He's never been the type to let me take a picture, but now I'm older and sneakier.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I truly hope you all feel as blessed as I do this season.

A beautiful sight...we're happy tonight

Hans brought an entire bunch of these gorgeous Thistle blooms home,

and I'm so in love with them.

Such a darling man to bring flowers to me...and to know me so well that he brings thistles instead of something too sweet and fluffy.

Also loving my mail lady this week! A huge new batch of baker's twine for Lumpling tags and a vintage crafting book make life a wee bit kinder this holiday season.

Today I've been making bunches of Snickerdoodle cookies to give to our neighbors so the house smells just like a home should; cinnamon and sugar!

Tonight, we will go door to door with cookies and the handmade scarves for the neighborhood children. When we get back home there will be a gingerbread house to decorate and hot chocolate for all.

And after all of that wonderful, almost too perfect, holiday love I will lock myself in a room and get frantic with wrapping paper and gifts. Hans has wrapped my gifts and nestled them under the tree which has caused Ella to cry and look pitiful because she wants her gifts under the tree too.

She doesn't quite understand that Mama is lazy and hasn't wrapped them yet. One day I'm sure she will understand, but at age three it doesn't click.

We Want Some Figgy Pudding

Our new German gummy bear ornament:

In Lumpling news:

I've been working down the line of people who emailed regarding the extra Lumplings. There is just one Lumpling left! I'm waiting to hear back from someone about it and if they don't want her I'll keep on moving down that list.

I will, of course, email the rest of the people on the list with my apologies if this Lumpling gets adopted before her picture gets sent to all.

I was so surprised at how many emails I received regarding these extra Lumplings! I had no idea there were so many of you out there reading this blog!

I feel slightly paranoid now. In a good way!

Last night I taught the children how to make paper snowflakes. We made several each and taped them in the front window.

While we were cutting away our snowflakes the doorbell rang and I almost didn't answer it because it was dark and I couldn't imagine who would be here that late, but then I could see the glow of what looked like a lot of candles and I opened the door to a group of people singing christmas carols!

I've never had that happen before and I wasn't sure what to do really... so I stood there holding Finn and Ella next to me like the people do in commercials. I couldn't help thinking that maybe I was supposed to tip them or something.

At the end of the song the loudest singer barely finished the last line before saying "That's enough", and they all took off.

It was a slice of suburbia that I've never had before. I grew up in a nice suburb of Atlanta and people there would never dare come to our house to sing. We had a reputation as a party house and the neighbors hated us!

My mom had a soft spot for kids whose parents had tossed them out...for some reason that happened to a lot of kids I knew growing up. But mom took them all in and they would sleep in our basement. You could walk down there at any point in the day and see at least five guys sprawled out asleep. We had pot heads, skin heads, skaters, hippies, punks, death rock kids and everything in between living with us. And my mom was known as the coolest lady around. Here she was a single mom to three kids and she took everyone in and fed them without complaining. I seriously don't remember her ever bitching about it.

Oh, and we had five dogs and about thirteen cats... so the neighbors really hated us!

Usually my communication with our closest neighbors involved my middle finger and turning up Siouxsie & the Banshees a bit louder.

Heh. Yeah. Good times.

But our neighbors here are so nice that they sing to us!

And tomorrow we've been invited to a neighborhood Christmas party!

As Mama would say: Hot Damn!

about those extra Lumplings...

Just a quick note to let everyone

know that I've gotten all of the emails asking about those extra Lumplings!

I will reply to everyone tonight!

I've had more requests than I have Lumplings, so when those Lumplings are all done and ready to be adopted I will start down the line of people and email with a Lumpling picture and a chance to adopt it. If rejected, then I move to the next person.

Is this Lumpling Pimping?

Should I wear a fancy fur coat while doing this?

~~~~~

In other news!

All of the Lumplings that were paid for last night went out this morning and will be coming to everyone via UPS. I like UPS this time of year because we can track those little suckers.

And really, the ladies at the post office start to look a wee bit psycho with Christmas cheer. I'm afraid of them at Christmas. Hell, I'm a little afraid of everyone around Christmas.

But it doesn't feel like Christmas around here... over 70 degrees people!! Jeez Louise!

all my babies leave me....

A successful adoption has just taken place! I know because my hands are still shaking from typing so much!

Mistle & Toto here were by far the most requested and they were snatched up at once.

I kept back a few Lumplings that I wanted to dress and make tiny Lumps for, so they will go up in the next few days.

If you are super interested in adopting one of these extra Lumplings, drop me a line and I'll send you a picture first before putting them on the site!

So now things really start to hop here in Lumpling land!

Invoices must be made and sent out to everyone. All of the adopted Lumplings will get name tags and a small birth certificate that my sweet husband, Hans, prints out for me using canvas on his big professional printer. Everyone gets wrapped up in spotted tissue paper and tucked in a sturdy box.

Meanwhile, my children and kitten look on wide eyed and somewhat distressed that I'm sending Lumplings away. They all do their best to sneak away with Lumplings before I've put them up for adoption.

Many many thanks to everyone for coming to see the Lumplings today. I'm so proud and humbled by the interest in them and all of the Lump Love!

Lumpling Update!

**((While I sent this notice out to everyone that has signed up on my mailing list, I've received lots of "blocked for Spam" responses! especially from Comcast and AOL email addresses. I don't know a way around that happening, so hopefully everyone will see the notice here!))**

Hello Everyone!

Do you hear the pitter patter of little Lumpling feet?
Here comes a new Lumpling herd!
http://www.amyrue.com/


They will all go online on:
Friday, December 15th
At 1pm Eastern Standard

If you see a Lumpling that you would like to adopt, please email me at amy@amyrue.com and
I will send a Paypal invoice your way or a note letting you know the Lumpling was already snatched up.

Remember to ‘refresh’ the adopt page every few minutes, because I start putting up the ‘adopted’ notices as soon as I can!

I have more than just Lumplings in the shop now; there are little carryalls, pillows, soaps and other fun items. If there is something that you would like to add to your invoice, just let me know!

Sometimes Lumplings go very fast and I will be typing my little heart out replying to emails, but I do reply to
every email. If you don’t hear back from me, please check your ‘spam’ folder… sometimes those emails are sneaky.

Adoption fees are Paypal only.
Shipping for one Lumpling $6.00 in North America and $8.00 International.

Please remember that Lumplings should still be considered choking hazards with wee babies under age three.
or anyone who likes to gnaw on little animals. You know who you are.

~~~

This week my mind has been focused on the Kim Family.

My heart and my prayers go out to brave brave Kati Kim and her beautiful little girls. I hope that in this time of sadness that she can feel all of the warm thoughts being sent her way from people all over the world.

~~~

Wee felt trees came together for our Holiday village last night. Lucky for me this is sturdy wool felt because I'm too lazy too add a bottom and stuffing. Maybe I should pink the bottom edge?

I found a wooden village to put together for super cheap on Ebay and I've been wrestling with hot glue and small wood bits since yesterday.

The village will probably just get painted white until I feel all more holiday crafting urges next year... I might already be tapped out this year!

We had such a nice time at Disney World. They even had a Santa there for my kids to attack.

Thank goodness this was the first year that Ella didn't scream and claw her way over my head to get away from the evil Santa. She always remains calm until that last crucial moment when Santa beckons and you start that slow walk to him... all Hell breaks loose!

But this Santa at Disney was a smart Santa. He came through the line and introduced himself to Finn & Ella before they came into his area. Good Santa.

Last night I also worked on the next herd of Lumplings. I really hope to have a decent amount of them for the next adoption...complete with babies and tiny ornaments. I started making the wee felt trees to go with the Lumplings, but it didn't quite work out the way I was thinking...so it was off to the village for them!

Bippity Boppity Boo!

Freshly Hand made Minnie dress for the daughter? check.

Crazy magician hat with Mouse ears for the son? check.

Glow sticks for waving about at parades? check.

Xanax for the nutso Mama? Double check.

Heh.

Watch out, Mouse, We's a comin'!

red & green find a way

Thank you to everyone for your sweet thoughts and comments on Friday.

You can't feel too very alone in blogland, I'm finding!

teensy red & green lady apples that Ella went ga-ga for at the market.

Finn polished one off in four bites.

Love those fuzzy little stems.

Ella and I made two of these button trees today while Hans was actually baking. Hans Baking?

I stayed very quiet about it and didn't question him. I can't remember the last time he decided to make cakes and muffins. Sure, sure, he's a famous chef in these parts, but won't usually bake unless he has to. Baking requires measuring...he hates that!

But the blueberry corn muffins? To die for.

When Hans went to the market today a man came up to tell Hans how much he loves his cooking show and how he followed him on the Food Network. This happens every day, so not too alarming, except then the man wanted to look in Hans' shopping buggy to see what he was buying. Wouldn't you know this was the day that I sent Hans out to buy a huge supply of Toilet paper?!?

Jeez louise.

Our car still isn't ready. Hopefully it will be by Thanksgiving so we can make a trip to my Grandma's several hours away.

But living in a small town has friendly perks. The body shop manager called me on Friday to give a progress report and was worried that the car won't be ready by Thanksgiving. He has offered that we take his brand new suv on our trip!

How nice is that? Super freaking nice!

I told him no, of course...jeez, we might smack another deer on the road!

pretty girls make graves

He was just a social drinker, but social every night.

He enjoyed a pint or two or three or four.

She was just a silent thinker,

silent every night.

He'd enjoyed the thought of killing her before.

~The Beautiful South

When we were 16 I played that Beautiful South song for my best friend, Tracey.

I remember telling her that it made me think of her and her boyfriend, Dave.

Tracey smiled at those first lines and nodded, but when it reached that last line, "he'd enjoyed the thought of killing her before..." Tracey frowned and said, "No. David would never hurt me."

"No..yeah...of course," I stumbled "I didn't mean that line. Of course he wouldn't really hurt you...just the other lines" I finished lamely.

But by the time we were 20, in 1994, Tracey was pregnant with Dave's baby. Dave didn't want a baby and she told him to Fuck off...she was having that baby girl with or without him.

I was so proud of her.

But David became erratic and he was popping drugs by the handful. He started claiming that he was God of all things. Tracey tried to get him help. One place prescribed something...I think an antidepressant.

On November 17th, 1994 David came to Roffler School of Hair where Tracey was learning to be a hair stylist. He asked to see Tracey and they left together. The other students later said that Tracey was even more quiet than normal that day.

He murdered my best friend and their baby girl still in Tracey's womb on Allgood road in Marietta, Georgia.

He took her car, with her little body still in it, and drove to Alabama where a police officer began pursuit of the speeding blue Honda. David finally stopped at the large bridge in Mobile, Alabama. I remember being told that he jumped off the bridge and that a cop jumped after him, but I don't know if that's really true.

But they got him and then they found Tracey in the car.

And then suddenly, you are expected to go on living as if part of you wasn't just ripped out violently.

Tracey was my first real friend. She loved pigs, wisteria, tea, and Morrissey. Tracey was tiny, barely five feet and under a hundred pounds. Her hair was the most beautiful shade of red that I've ever seen. She didn't walk, she would glide. Tracey had a lovely little throaty laugh that I still hear in my dreams. She was intelligent and quiet. We stayed up late just to watch The Young Ones, 120 minutes and silly old horror movies and would wake up early to catch Pee Wee's Playhouse. She didn't do drugs, but loved a bottle of Boone's farm.

I was six days older than her. She hated it when I told people that.

One of our last conversations was about who would come to our funerals. We were just morbid like that, I guess. Tracey felt that her funeral would be poorly attended. But it was freaking packed.

I go to the grave yard as much as possible. Especially holidays and today. Ella and I brought some tiny white pumpkins and holly bush cuttings today. Tracey was so very good about going to a dear friend's grave and bringing flowers... and she mentioned more than once how important that was to her to honor our friends.

So I carry on.

Not a day goes by that I don't still think of her and miss her. What would she think about now? About the internet, blogs, ipods, me married to Hans and our children? Her daughter would be eleven, almost twelve. She would have been a kick ass mom.

David got off on Insanity. The last that I heard of him, he was working at a restaurant in Atlanta.

During High school, I would pick her up in my beat up old Volvo early in the morning. We would both have a cup of tea and I would bum a Camel light cigarette from her. Tra and I would sit in the parking lot at school, crank up The Smiths, and linger over one more cigarette while we made faces at the cheer leaders bopping by. Christ, how could they be that peppy that early?

In Tracey, I had a soul connection. I was so lucky to know that.

tick tock tick tock

I think that we have about twenty different kids in the neighborhood that we try to give a little something to for Christmas. Yeah, yikes. This year I'm pretty pleased with what we've come up with for most of them; fleece scarves! I found some great striped fleece and got serious with my rotary cutter last night.

Ella and Finn are thrilled with them and now have a couple of new scarves each. It's nice how something so simple to do can impress the munchkins. Hopefully, it will impress the neighborhood munchkins too. If I have time, I'm going to make some clothes pin dolls to tuck into the scarf roll with a note on how to work a 'Worry Doll'.

Going crazy stuck at home with no car.... day three.

Yesterday, I stuck myself in the kitchen and made a cake, snickerdoodles, and a casserole.

I also made a dress and bloomers for Ella, more fleece scarves and more Lumplings.

Hans thinks that it's good for me to be stuck at home with all that I'm getting done.

Oh no...it's not.

There's no telling what will happen next... I might organize my desk. God forbid!

mmm...snickerdoodle!

Like a Deer In The Headlight

We hit a deer...or the deer hit us, really. But if this would have happened a second earlier, the results would have been a lot more severe. The deer could have hit the windshield, and the airbags would have gone off and we would have probably gone off the road. Yeah, that's how I try to make myself feel better, by going over how it could be worse. We weren't speeding, and the deer came out of someone's yard at such an amazing pace that we didn't see her until she collided with the car.

I'm so so glad that my children weren't in the car to see and hear that.

As it was, when we finally came to a stop, and I looked up, there was a large white cross and drying flowers there. A man had just died at that spot recently, and his name, as it was written in marker on the cross, was Tommy.

Do they do that all over the country, or is it just in the South? When someone dies in a car accident, a cross and flowers are left there.

Places to hold your breath as you drive by.

Our nearest neighbors both work at the body shop in town where my poor scooter pooter car is now. They told us that our car is the seventh car to come in since last week that was involved in hitting a deer. It's rutting season, they explained, and the girl deers are trying to get away from the boy deers and running all willy nilly.

Our deer ran off, even after flipping several times when the car hit her. I hope that she's alright, but I honestly don't see how she could be.

pin, little doggy, pin!

Have I introduced my little pin dog? I have a habit of adopting old planters from antique/junk stores, and for years they've just been sitting around looking cute. But once I started to sew and realized that I must have a pin cushion for every room in the house, my planters gained a new life! I've also attacked vintage egg cups and small tea cups with my pin cushion making frenzy, but this little pink dog with his blank stare and cracked body is my favorite.

If you would like to make your own little pin pal:

First, weight the bottom with either pea gravel or sand.

Next, cut a circle of fabric and run a loose stitch around the edges with sturdy upholstery thread.

Pull the thread ends a bit to form a pouch, and stuff it firmly with poly fill or wool.

Now pull the threads tight and knot them.

You can now tuck this little poof into the planter. If it doesn't feel sturdy enough, you can run a bead of hot glue around the edges before putting the poof in, but I usually just lodge it in there tightly in case I ever want to change the fabric.

I've been making a little dress for Ella this week, and that has required a lot of ironing. Hans gets a bit giddy when I'm on an ironing spree and unloads all of his shirts on my ironing table. He says that he likes the way the house smells when I iron, and I have to agree that it has almost as much of a welcome home smell as cookies in the oven. But I think that he's really just playing on my domestic side so that I keep ironing and he keeps smooth shirts.

I keep a silver creamer filled with water and a drop of lavender water next to the iron for frequent refills, and that Dritz ezy-hem? It's a handy gadget for the hemming impaired like me.

If anyone makes a pin pal, send pictures! I'd love to see them!

Empty House, Warm Egg

Our son, Finn, has taken to eating soft boiled eggs in the morning before school. It's not a very common for children in the states and when I went looking for fun egg cups online they were all in England. Except for this little guy, the Egg Robot! He keeps the egg warm and holds the spoon for Finn when not in use.

Finn's eyes bugged out of his head when I surprised him with it this week. I love those eye popping happy kid moments.

From the same seller on Ebay I also ordered a toast press that was supposed to leave the impression of the Virgin Mary on my toast. I was really looking forward to toast with pictures(obviously, I am easily amused), but sadly, you have to squint really hard to see Mary.

We found this old farmhouse last weekend while driving some backroads. The people living here would have had a fantastic view of pasture and mountains beyond. But it was obviously left empty years ago, and it feels forlorn now.

Lumplings are coming right along and I hope to have an update soon. One of the Lumpling adoptions fell through with that last batch, so I'll be putting that Lump back on the site tomorrow probably.

Gettin' an itch and scratchin' it twice.

The Halloween decorations are down and I'm feeling that Christmas itch. The past couple of nights I've been ordering vintage ribbons and fabrics for the Holiday Lumplings. Where would Lumplings be without late night Ebaying and online fabric stores? We live rather far out from decent fabric and thrift stores, and the internet is a blessing for supplies.

~Single layer pink dress on a green minky Lump~

I've been working on the Lumpling dresses again. The newest style is just like a child's pillowcase dress...a tube of fabric with armholes cut out and ribbon threaded through the top.

I made a darling one for Ella out of a vintage embroidered pillowcase and she refuses to wear it, so we'll see if the Lumplings prove easier to please!

I dunno though...they do kind of look like maternity dresses. Roly poly waddling pregnant Lumplings? Noo...lumplings don't do that!

~Double layer pillowcase dress on a velveteen Lumpling~

My favorite book lately is this fantastic guide of Japanese children's fabrics. Full of adorable and inspiring images like the bunnies below.

Making Halloween!

We've been busy little Halloween bees around here. Last week, Hans and I took the children to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D, and it was wonderful. We watch that movie every single year, and it was special to see it in a new way this year.
Saturday was party day here and we invited our friends and neighbors over for cupcakes and general mayhem. All of the kids dressed up and most of the parents too! We had faeries, genies, princesses, scarecrows, skeletons, puppies and kitties too.

I was a pirate wench...but Ella did not approve because I was lacking a proper hat.

The house was shiny clean before the party and decked out in all of it's Halloween finery.

"What do you do with all of this Halloween stuff the rest of the year?!" was heard more than once.

I never have any structure to our parties. It's just a general invite to come into our home, eat snacks and drink. One little girl came up to me early in the evening, looking concerned, and asked "so uh...what are we supposed to be doing here? I mean, what's the point?".

Cracked me up.

Obviously, she's used to more planned parties, with games and contests. But the thought of rounding up 15 children ranging in ages from 2 to 8 and trying to organize something other than complete chaos intimidates me too much. So it's cupcakes and freedom to run wild for me!

Is he about to bonk the princess on the head?

We are excited about going trick or treat tomorrow night! Last year, Hans had just begun Chemo/Radiation and didn't feel well enough to walk the neighborhood, but this year he is so much better and I look forward to walking as a family again.

three, two,one...

Here we go!

The newest herd will be at amyrue.com in a minute or so.

If you see a Lumpling you would like to adopt,

email me at amy@amyrue.com

I will either send a Paypal invoice or a note letting you know that the Lumpling was already adopted. I will update the page frequently with the adoption updates.

Adoption fees are paypal only.

Shipping is $6.00 in the United States and $8.00 International.

Shh...sneaky sneaky now

My lamp lady can keep a secret...can you?

A new herd of Lumplings will be sneaking on the amyrue.com website tomorrow.

Sneaking because I'm not announcing them in a mass email yet.

I want the loyal blog readers to have first dibs. It's a small herd with some Halloween ones.

I'll announce it here on the blog when they go up and give all of the purchase info then too.

Yeah, I know it's overkill

And that's okay with me. Halloween overkill is just what I do.

A close up with some of our Halloween guys.

And that is my favorite little vintage glass lamp ever, but the lampshade needs help. I'm thinking Polka dots. I'm usually thinking Polka Dots...or stripes....stripes are nice.

Halloween clutter around the fireplace in full. The painting is one of my Mother's landscapes, it's hard to see the true colors and textures of it through this picture. My Mom is a fantastic fine artist, as is my Grandmother, but did I get any of that talent? Noooope. I can make cutesy left and right and upside down, but never could I just pick some oil paints and whip up something like this. That's okay though... I wouldn't have the Lumplings if I didn't do cute.
We took the kids to the most popular pumpkin patch around North Georgia, Burt's Pumpkin Farm.

We always let them pick out a special pumpkin or squash to bring home and Finn picked out this knobbly little green thing. Look how freaking excited he is about that weird ass little green thing! It has a place of honor on top of his dresser with all of his other treasures.

Weird kid. Where in the world does he get that from?

ahem.

Hans got to pick out his own special wheelbarrow. Aw.

This weekend I'm working on several Lumplings and Pillows, so hopefully next week I'll have some things to put up in the shop.

I Squish Your Head!

We had a perfect Fall morning making Halloween Cupcakes

They were going to be complete little skeletons on each cupcake, but we got lazy so they are just little skelly heads.

I squish your head!

The children and I poked holes in mini marshmallows with skewers, and then filled the holes with sprinkles to make a face. Some marshmallows ended up as cyclops or they had tiny devil horns.

Aww...now we eat you!

~~~

Later we hit the annual Georgia Marble Festival in Jasper, Georgia. This is only the second year in something like 13 years that Hans and I haven't been working a booth there selling his Father's marble sculptures and planters. Our area is full of marble, in the yard of our previous home there were huge chunks of white and pink marble all over the yard and supporting the house itself. Heavy crap to move around.

~~~

Hans is printing our Halloween Party invites for all of the kids in the 'hood right now.

Lots and lots of fun with munchkins running all over the house in their costumes! Gotta make more cupcakes!

Whistle while you work

Here is the recipe for our all purpose cleaning powder.

I keep small shakers of this next to sinks and a larger jar for carpet sprinkles.

The nice thing about this is that you not only save bunches of money by not buying so many different cleaning supplies, but you know exactly what's in this and that it's safe for your family.

It works like a charm and your house never has that synthetic cleaning product smell!

Please be careful with rosemary oil when pregnant; it's strong stuff!

Lavender oil is perfect for cleaning bedrooms and children's bathrooms...it's a natural disinfectant. Lemon or Peppermint oil give the kitchen a crisp clean feel.

~~~

I'm in cleaning mode still, even though I feel pretty icky run down with a cold.

I really want to have another batch of Halloween Lumplings up this month, but I avoid working on them when I have a cold. See, I have enough paranoia for us all!

Instead I've been cleaning our studio space and doing tons of laundry. My laundry must be related to rabbits because I swear it breeds more laundry in those baskets when I'm not looking.

While it still looks a cluttered mess, it's actually clean to me!

Is it safe to come out?

Whew! All of the Lumplings were adopted after only being up a few minutes!

I've replied to everyone and sent out the invoices... err, if you haven't heard from me, or didn't get an invoice please let me know!

I'm pretty sure I'll need botox to get rid of this crease between my eyebrows and little finger splints. As I'm typing to people and updating the site with which Lumplings are adopted, I found myself with my face all squinched up and typing like a maniac.

Neko the crazy kitten gets very concerned whenever she spots us packing up Lumplings.

Neko is very much into comfort plushies. She doesn't play with the Lumplings that will be on the site, but the kid's Lumplings are attacked and snuggled daily.

Our kitten carries around a tiny fleece dragon finger puppet. She flings it into the air and runs all willy nilly around the house with it between her teeth. Sometimes she'll hide it from herself and act all surprised when she uncovers it later.

A close up of Treat. I freaking love Treat, he kind of has a glum expression. It was Hans' idea that I make a little candy corn buddy...and this from a man that doesn't even like candy corn!

Here's the gang, all together for the last time!

Now they are being boxed up and sent all over the world.

I hope that they bring some Halloween love to all of their new homes!

Do you hear the pitter patter of little Lumpling feet?
Here comes a new Lumpling herd!
http://www.amyrue.com


They will all go online on:
Wednesday, September 27th, 2006
At 1pm Eastern Standard

If you see a Lumpling that you would like to adopt, please email me at amy@amyrue.com and
I will send a Paypal invoice your way or a note letting you know the Lumpling was already snatched up.

Remember to ‘refresh’ the adopt page every few minutes, because I start putting up the ‘adopted’ notices as soon as I can!

I have more than just Lumplings in the shop now; there are little carryalls, pillows, soaps and other fun items. If there is something that you would like to add to your invoice, just let me know!

Sometimes Lumplings go very fast and I will be typing my little heart out replying to emails, but I do reply to
every email. If you don’t hear back from me, please check your ‘spam’ folder… sometimes those emails are sneaky.

Adoption fees are Paypal only.
Shipping for one Lumpling $6.00 in North America and $8.00 International.

Please remember that Lumplings should still be considered choking hazards with wee babies under age three.
Or anyone who likes to gnaw on little animals. You know who you are.

Autumn Equinox

We celebrated the first day of Fall with a trip to Japan Festival at Stone Mountain Park today.

It was a crush, full of people, so we didn't get any decent pictures except for the origami treats that we came away with.

We stopped at the Buford Highway Farmer's Market on the way home. It's an International market and they have lots of strange and fun things to goggle at.

I snatched up this little pink box of cookies. Finn asked me what was in the box, and I had to admit that I had no earthly idea. Finn sighed, "Mama, you only got this because it has a Puffy headed character on it, didn't you? You always want things with Puffy Poofy heads"

Yup.

We picked up this old tin dollhouse from a junk dealer on the side of the road some weeks back.

I've given one coat of white paint, and it needs more, but I couldn't wait any longer to put it in the dining room as our Holiday House. I have grand plans to deck it out for each holiday...but check with me next year to see if I hold true. I'm famous for coming up with things and never keeping it up.

It sits on a huge antique mirror backed sidebar that belonged to my Great Grandmother Ella Catherine. The sidebar is a pretty dark wood with elaborate carvings throughout and lately I've been dreaming about painting it white. I just found out from my mom that it was painted white when she was a little girl, but when it passed down to my Grandfather he had it stripped and stained.

Maybe one day when I feel like taking on a huge project, this sidebar is massive.

This evening we had roast chicken, mashed sweet potatoes and green beans before taking what is becoming our nightly neighborhood walk. Later, we played with glow in the dark sticks in the back yard and looked for stars peeking out from behind the clouds.

It was, quite simply, a wonderful way to begin my favorite season.

Now, I'm going to go fall on my face.

The night is still

and the frost it bites my face

I wear my silence like a mask

and murmur like a ghost

"Trick or Treat"

"Trick or Treat"

The bitter and the sweet

~Siouxsie & The Banshees

I'm almost done with the newest herd of Lumplings.

Almost...barely...not quite yet!

But I'm thinking that they will launch early next week. Maybe Tuesday?

I'll be sure to update here and send out an email to the list when I know for sure.

The days and nights have been cooler here in North Georgia, and I'm revelling in it. I've been so ready for cardigan weather again. I've been on a cleaning streak around the house; windows and bathrooms positively sparkle!

Hans says that most people might get Spring Cleaning Fever, but I've always had Fall Cleaning Fever.

Hans and I are very proud that our son, Finn, tested so high that his school enrolled him in the 'Gifted Program'. I don't like that they call it "Gifted"... it just seems like an exalted label that might give some kids a big ego. Not saying that my kid will get a big ego...but, you know.

Hans said that for a while our school system called the class 'Discovery', and I like that... because it is a class where they are discovering new things.

Finn is a bit miffed that he still won't be learning science in school. He'll have to keep learning that on his own at home. My darling little nerd.

I was explaining to my daughter that women are born with eggs in their belly, and that maybe one day when she's married (!), one of her eggs will become a baby.

Trying to keep it simple, but honest.

Ella tells me, "Um, Mama, I don't have a baby in my eggs."

"You don't?" I ask

"nope, I got broccoli in my eggs"

Merry Fall Equinox everyone!

Lumpling left behind...

Update! Piffle Lumpling has a new home!

There will probably be a new Lumpling herd early next week!

There is one little Lumpling Lurking at amyrue.com.

It's poor Piffle from the last adoption... his adoption fees were never paid!

So I hope that there is a home out there ready to love him, because we both feel bummed about his being dropped.

Blogger isn't letting me post pictures today or I'd show Piffle's cute little mug!

Halloween fever strikes

well i live with snakes and lizards

and other things that go bump in the night

cos to me everyday is halloween

~Ministry

I'm all sorts of eager itchy for Halloween. This is my favorite time of the year to shop and make things... Boo for my wallet, but yay for anyone that likes to adopt Lumplings!

The new Lumpling herd is coming right along! All of the Lumps are lovely fall and Halloween colors... a cute little batch of Halloweenies that I'm having a great time making.

Yesterday, I pulled out two great big tubs full of our Halloween decorations. The kids were jumping all around and chattering with excitement over each and every treasure.

I will restrain myself from decorating outside until October first, but inside the house is fair game!

Three new pillows just went up at amyrue.com!
We also have a couple of jars of Hans' new honey spice rub left. Ms Sarah over at Out of the Blue sold out in two days and I'm almost out at amyrue too! Hans is going to find himself back in that kitchen mixing if this keeps up!

The Drama of 'Little Guy'

Last year, while shopping at TJ Maxx Ella found this dusty little plushy for 99cents and fell in love. She named him Little Guy and has to have him every night to sleep. The Lumplings are understandably bitter about this, but Ella has no sympathy for them.

Little Guy's soft satin ears are falling off and he somehow has a slash across his face. We keep telling Ella not to play with knives, but you know how preschoolers are.

I knew that I would never be able to sew Little Guy's face and ears back without him looking like Little Frankenstein, so I began the search for a replacement.

After cursing people on Ebay a bit I finally won a new Little Guy and he arrived safely this week. I was biting my lip when I gave him to Ella, because you know this is kind of like an organ transplant...will it take or be rejected?

Sigh of relief that he has been accepted! and the old Little Guy is staying around to show the new Guy the ropes (and knives).

Little Guy is a Cozy Cradle doll from Manhattan Toy He's just the right size for little arms to cuddle and safe for even the smallest babes. I had to hunt a new one down Ebay style, but I highly recommend getting this toy to anyone with small kids!