6 TODAY!

I can hardly believe that 6 years has past so quickly...this morning our little A came and woke me up with the BIGGEST beaming smile ever! I asked if she would keep that smile on her face from now on because it was SUCH a pretty one...she just smiled more.

"Mummy, have I grown...am I bigger now?"

We chatted about when she was a baby and  how cute she was...I told her about when she was born her hair was so long that the nurses put a bow in her hair...she giggled.

Our morning was a quiet one, we opened a couple of pressies from Mormor & Morfar...Jordan opened one too...her Birthday is so close that really, if they receive a couple of presents on eachothers birthdays...it makes them happy!

As pointed out by my Dad this morning after having sent a GAZILLION pictures from our Florida trip recently...there were no good ones of Little Miss A and her missing teeth...so this one is for you Dad & Mum!

Thanks for the beautiful dresses from you too...they're from Monsoon...such a gorgeous shop for kids clothes. (the aprons are made by Jenny in Ohio...when she opens her Etsy Shop I will post about her!)

time to bake...cookies for Little Miss A's class.

YUM...the best part...

...sitting on the kitchen counter and helping Mum with cakes make for SUCH great memories!!

Then the phone calls started rolling in...for some reason she didn't mind speaking to the dozen calls which were for her this morning.

Time for school...and now I have to go back to pick her up.

We found the cookie recipe HERE...I think I'll use it again, they turned out really well...although I'm going to alow for cooling before baking next time.

We put half chocolate chips and half tootsie rolls cut up(tootsie rolls are like caramel toffee sweets)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweet miss A...I love you with ALL my heart, always and forever.

To all you fabulous readers...remember TODAY is the LAST day to take advantage of my BOGO free offer on all my ETSY PRINTS...quick quick...don't miss out on the opportunity!

HUGS

Char,ON

her own pet monkey...

finished and ready to deliver...

I'm hoping the girls love monkeys and elephants...

we're off to their Birthday Party this afternoon...

I'm happy how they turned out...especially the elephant on the beach.The colours work well together...

It's funny how sometimes certain projects just have a sweet harmony about them, and others don't.

It's a beautiful sunny day...we should be outside...so I won't keep you.

Tomorrow's little Miss A's Birthday and little Miss J's on Wednesday (NO it wasn't planned)...we had a week of celebrations in Disney World so there won't be any "parties"...but cake making yes...and balloons of course.

Oh, and a few gifts!

HUGS to you all.

Have a lovely Sunday.

Char,ON

today I am...

painting 2 Once Upon a Time illustrations for 2 special girls...good friends of the family had twins 3 days before our little Miss A was born, this is a week of Birthdays...A's is on Monday and J's is on Wednesday!!!

LOTS to organise...and little gifts to wrap!

TODAY I am:

::finishing these while the girls have Ballet

::heading out to Port Hope to the Believe Dance Competion to support some of the girls in A & J's Dance school who are competing today...GOOD LUCK girls!

::meeting up with Shelly (yay!)

::heading out to Toronto to ABYC to watch my Mr. R in his Band this evening.

What are you up to today?

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Char,ON

up high and down low

birthday gifts nearly finished...

and overdue thank you's...ready to deliver this afternoon.

I was up early this morning finishing these...and doing Laundry.

I'm hoping to win the lottery this evening so I can paint Birthday pictures for ALL you FABULOUS readers...and not have to worry about where I'm getting money for our weekly food shop.

Living from commission to commission can be stressful at times.

I guess I could get a job in the local Grocery Store? or Hardware store?

Just trying to hold off...I know my break is coming soon...I can feel it!

(all of the above said with good humour :-)

Have a lovely weekend.

Oh, I nearly forgot...the National Ballet of Canada Tour was amazing...we weren't allowed to take photos. BUT they were rehearsing for West Side Story...and we got to sit in for 25 minutes and watch their rehearsal! AMAZING...HOW do they jump SO high???

Did you know that each Ballerina only gets about 8 hours reharsal out of each Point Shoe! That's a LOT of shoes they need in a year!

HUGS...and just saying...I really DO appreciate you stopping by...it means so much to read your comments.THANK-ing you all.

Char,ON

beautiful butterfly

Good EVENING , I hope you're well...little Miss J is now down with a fever...hopefully her little Angel will help her during the night and make her feel better.

ON another note:

all this term little Miss A has been learning about bugs in her weekly Science class and 3D shapes.

Last week her homework was to create and make a 3D bug...she ofcourse chose a Butterfly.

We rummaged around in cupboards and craft drawers for materials...she needed a little help sewing the head,thorax and abdomine together...but other than a little instruction...she created her own butterfly.

I helped little Miss J make hers...it was fun.

Little Miss A is feeling better...can you tell. WOW is she ever a different girl when she's sick. I missed her smiles.

Have a great evening...I have a couple of birthday Once Upon a Time's to finish this evening.

I may not get a chance to post tomorrow...we're heading don to Toronto with all our Ballet girls. We've been invited to tour the National Ballet of Canada's rehearsal rooms and shoe and costume rooms...the girls are excited.

Hopefully I'll get some great pictures if they'll allow me!

Ciao ciao..

Char,ON

my African Queens

all it takes is an afternoon crafting with my girls here at home...a bit of poster paint and patience to wait for the thick wet patches of paint to dry...and an early start this morning before our little misses woke up to finish this piece and fall in love with PAINT all over again.
I am always amazed at how I feel when I haven't painted for a while and then start again. Shapes can be formed so freely with paint...even kids paint which is chalky. I was so excited to finish this that I made sure I woke up an hour earlier than everyone else (apart from Mr. R who leaves at 5.45am!)
O.K...so both of them look like their 16 years old in this piece, but I think I see them older when I look at them everyday...they know so much already and I've always spoken to them as equals...not at babies.
They have 1/4 African blood in them (hence the name "My African Queens")...and perhaps a little more as Mr.R's mother is Jamaican and has an African/East Indian heritage. I love History...hopefully our girls will love travel and finding out about who and where they are from.

Are you originally from the country you reside in?

Have fun thinking of your family Heritage today.
HUGS
Char,ON

bugs

our little Miss A is fighting a stomach bug...she's such a tiny framed girl that fevers and bugs really wipe her out, she's been sipping popsicles...and will hopefully be back at school tomorrow.

On another note...the girls caterpillers have already coccooned!

That was a real surprise this morning and put a lovely smile on Miss A's face.

I'm cleaning piles of sheets, duvets, towels and laundry today...praying that my immune system fights the bugs which are lurching around.

HUGS to you all.
Char,ON

cousins...cousins

we don't get together often...but enjoy our time when we do...that's Cousin Ulla in the middle holding little Ludwig and Cousin Lars(her brother) on the end in the blue...

Mr R and little Ludwig...the Happiest baby you've ever met...he's adorable!

after filling our bellies with a yummy BBQ...we all went for a walk..or took the little ones for a walk...

I adore this photo of Uncle Lars and our girls...

this was neat...I'm sure it was built in the 60's...it looks like a Mushroom and has a hole in the centre. The acoustics are amazing, we had so much fun stamping feet,screaming,chanting and clapping under it.

Hopefully we'll see Uncle Lars again soon...and wish Auntie Ulla, Kristian and little Ludwig a wonderful and safe trip back.

this afternoon we're heading over to friends to celebrate little G's 7th Birthday...he's a HUGE fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Team...so I painted a custom Once Upon a Time for him.

Have a lovely Monday!

and OH...I nearly forgot...

I have a B.O.G.O offer on my Esty Store prints until the end of May.

(if you don't see one of my prints there...it maybe because it's not been listed or has expired...just email me and I can re-list it)

Until tomorrow

Char,ON

beauty under layers

Have a lovely day...I'm off to visit family....YAY!

Ended up deciding to give little Dhillon a painting...and drawing this lovely lady this evening whilst relaxing infront of the box.

Hope you're all well...thanks for stopping by.

Char,ON

family visits

tomorrow we get to meet little Ludwig for the first time, my cousin Ulla and her family is in town. I didn't really know what to bring them...do I bring a toy for Ludwig? or a Once Upon a Time watercolour? I chose a family gift...a sketch of their family.
I have one to make for my Cousin Lars...the girls call him uncle Lars, we haven't seen them in over a year, I miss them.
Ulla lives and is from Sweden so she's just over for a couple of weeks...it's always lovely to see family...I don't get too very often!
I hope to get some pictures of our BBQ with them tomorrow.
We're all enjoying the Holiday weekend over here in Canada...as a tribute to Queen Victoria's Birthday.
Lots of BBQ's and Fireworks.

What are you upto this weekend?

Check in again soon to see the other sketch I'll be taking tomorrow.
HUGS
Char,On

Saturday's self portrait

me...without make-up...how I wake up...

this is how I recognise me, if I painted myself this is how I would look.

not many people see me like this...my husband, my kids...my family only.

un-showered...not ready for the day ahead.

How many people see YOU who you really are?

HUGS

Char,ON

WHAT would you bring?

This was my lunch...I know...it's simple, but I'm a simple girl. I LOVE.LOVE.LOVE to cook and make things pretty...but I also adore when you can taste the raw product.

Avacado and eggs...one of my all time faves.(as many of you know)

I NEED your help though. This Sunday we're visiting with cousins who have flown over from Sweden.

I am supposed to be bringing a desert.

WHAT to bring/or make?

I can cook...and don't bake much at all...I can follow a recipe, BUT I really need to impress...a little this time. My cousin's husband is a sou-chef...

PLEASE HELP ME...

HAPPY WEEKENDING.

Char,ON

FISH Friday

My husband went Scuba diving in Bahamas and also at Epcot in Disney World.

He also came back with a list of fish which he saw...and didn't get pictures of...so I made sketches of them after searching for them on the internet.

Colours are so different under water that I enjoyed just doing line drawings of them. Our girls will probably ask me to print them out for them so they can colour them! (this is usually what happens:-)

Enjoy the photos...I haven't much time today to post anything lengthy.

Have a wonderful LONG weekend fellow Canadians!

and to the rest of you fabulous readers...enjoy your weekend too...

HUGS

Char,ON