snickerdoodles: it's real love, it's real...

I am selling in another really big show this weekend called the Kelowna Christmas Show . The dining room is filled with art supplies and the garage is loaded with stock to go and other pieces I need to finish up. I am anxious as it's a big two day show and knowing how much to bring and what to expect is always a bit of a gamble. I am also working the show solo for the most part which makes me nervous but also excited.

If you haven't done your holiday shopping (like me) it is the place to support our local economy while finding unique and timeless treasures for everyone you want to spoil. Please come see me...I will be in the concourse loop in booth C49 . If you want to come play and hang out in my booth I would love that too.

While painting and creating pieces I have been trying to distract myself from some of the heavy stuff in life now and focus on lovely music and bring my thoughts from difficult places to promising dreams and comforting memories.

I wanted to share the sweetest video I have been watching for a couple months now. All three of my boys have been passionate penguin lovers. Who doesn't love penguins? I had a cherished one as a kiddos and I remembered after a flu episode that required him to go in the washer the lengths my Mom went to to bring him back. Chilly Willy was one of my fave cartoons and I have shared that with my boys via YouTube Chilly Willy episodes. Once when Liam was little and went for his first big boy trip alone to Nana and Poppas several hours away I remember seeing his beloved Icy the stuffed penguin when I got home and feeling my heart sink realizing how upset he would be when he unpacked his stuff there and Icy wasn't where he expected. So Icy the penguin from Sea World, the only thing he picked on our trip and coveted, got put in a box and mailed priority post to the Okanagan. I could go on an on as any Momma can about the things that were so precious to her kidlets when they had imaginations way bigger than their bodies.

Christmas can be simple yet still magical for kids. Every time I see this video I am sharing today I cry and am reminded why I do my best to keep Buddy the Elf on a shelf active and creative for Ry and strive to find new traditions for the older boys and most of all step away from the chaos and materialism of Christmas. This year has brought lots of changes and Christmas here will be quieter and more basic than ever. I am focusing on experiences not stuff and making memories with the boys...wish me luck!

Believe in LOVE, believe in the spirit of Christmas, believe in hope and dreams. Life can bury us if we let it but if we are strong and have faith to choose a different way of looking at things it can also fill us up and bring us so much peace and fun.

So, watch this beautiful holiday advertisement from John Lewis and enjoy. Mommas of little boys get the tissues ready...