Christmas 2009

as i mentioned before, Bryan got a zoom lens for Christmas (an EF Canon 75-300mm Jen!) and this picture of Bryson was the first one he took with it. We so need to give that boy a haircut. i keep replaying the scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie shows up to the house blind because they made him swallow the soap, only its Bryson blind because i didnt cut his hair when he was 4 and it disrupted his vision and i am in the corner sobbing saying, "i just couldn't handle it when he cuts his hair - he grows up too fast!" dramatic much?

anyway....our Christmas was amazing. I already told a little about Christmas Eve morning. We then went to my Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Darrol's house for Christmas Eve and met up with my dad's side of the family. I believe she said there were 34 of us. it was a very familiar time. We grew up next door to them from the time i was 3 until i left the house at 18 - and every Christmas morning we would always run over to their house (before they opened presents) and so excited for them to open them too and Stephanie and Darrol would very nicely ask us to come back after they were done and then we would eat sugar and play with new toys together and eat more sugar and then pass out somewhere along the way since we generally woke up at 5am...but i digress...the night was lovely...i wish i would have brought a pack n play for poor Bodie though...he was a little over it all. Bryson had a blast with his cousins and second cousins - him and my cousin Danny's daughter Grey played so cute...they were even wrestling...she is a tough cookie that girl! i was seriously impressed...not too many girls hold their own with Bryson and she gave him a run! Santa came that night too - they wanted Bryan to play Santa...but he wont...he is scared he will freak out the kids...one year i found a black santa costume at target and offered to buy it for him to make him feel more comfortable and he looked at me like i had a tree growing out of my head so i dropped the subject. But we were lucky that our cousin Henrik from Sweden was in town and a good sport (plus we told him that this was customary for the guest to be Santa and if he didnt do it he would ruin all the kids' Christmas) so he played along. on another awful Johnson humor note - Danny told my nephew Buddy that he had to bow to Henrik every time he saw him because it was their custom...i only saw him do it once, but seriously poor Henrik!

we also had amazing food, a gift exchange and very special times catching up with very special people we dont see nearly as often as we would like!

Christmas morning was so special. In fact - it was definitely without a doubt my favorite Christmas morning so far in my life. It was the first time that we had Christmas morning alone since we have been married. And now with our children! it was so special. Bryson was soooo excited and woke me up and told me that Santa had come! we made sure to make coffee first and grabbed the video camera and went to town! Bodie really could have cared less...but did seem to show interest in all of Bryson's things (PS - that pic of Bodie on the bike is an example of this - this was Bryson's "like-a-bike" that Bodie was enthralled with)...we are now entering the sibling rivalry territory...it has been calm so far...and that is about to end...i am certain of this...anyway - a very relaxing morning and very special to start our own traditions as a family. it was the first time i actually felt like a family...isnt that odd? i mean of course i feel like a family, but rarely do i sit back and marvel at our selves as a family unit like i did that morning.

after breakfast we packed up and headed down to Murrieta to my dad's. we ran about 10 miles with Jake and Mandie and then had a wonderful enchilada/tamale dinner, MORE presents and more lovely family time. I made Buddy and Hope their own zoodies...Buddy was a little stoked on his!

12 Months Old

Happy Birthday Bodie! Bodie turned 1 year old on Christmas Eve. i decided to make the morning extra special for him since he was born in the morning...so i made PW's cinnamon rolls with Maple Coffee icing....YUUUUMMMMM....i ate about 3 of them...or 4....and then sent one tin with Ruthie up to her parents house and the other tin went to my aunt's house later that evening...i am thinking that this will have to be a tradition...because i will probably be craving them at least once a year! Bryan also made an amazing breakfast and we feasted and Bodie opened some presents...a wood stacking toy and a stuffed panda from Ruth - he really could care less about any of the toys i got him. Bryan got him a plastic golf set from Roger Dunn, and he has not parted with the driver since. great! now i have 3 golf crazed men in my life...awesome. We had a very nice relaxing morning and just hung out and played. it was so nice to not to have to be anywhere (well not until 5 anyway) and we could just be together (which happens much more rarely than one would think) - it was a very very special birthday and Christmas Eve. Probably my favorite one (apart from last year's of course!) Bodie is walking like crazy now! the farthest he has gone is 5 steps, but he attempts it all the time now and is so stable standing up...you can tell he is enjoying this new feat of his as well. he seemed to pick up quite a bit of confidence over the past couple days!

i realize i never posted my labor story and if i get a moment i would like to...we were talking about that day a lot this past week and it makes me sad i never documented it well...it should be documented. it was an amazing day. Pics of Christmas to follow as well. Bryan got a new lens for Christmas and has been testing it out ever since : )

Christmas Cards

I have been meaning to post these for a while, but kept forgetting and tonight i was reminded that i so needed to show you all the out-takes from our Christmas cards...really the best photo shoot evah! not really...the studio was an AW-FUL experience. the kids did NOT care...bryson's smile slowly deteriorated to psycho-status...Bodie - even after 3 nursing breaks - was over it. the one at the very end was my favorite...i believe the lady who conducted this session called it the "pile up".

i got the idea from my favorite blog Sexy People. i have been wanting to capture our family in this way for a while. and plan on never truly letting our kids in on the joke...i'll just let them think i was serious their whole life...cause that is how we roll...

am i dreaming? a white christmas?

today bryson woke up and found this down the street! our neighbor is "friends" with Union Ice and decided to get 8 1/2 tons of snow blown on his front lawn...what? who does that? they put out a table with coffee and donuts for the neighbors and invited all the kids to throw snowballs, build snowmen and ride down the make-shift haybale hill! i was able to find his snow pants and some mittens and he was in heaven...for about 3 1/2 hours! it made me want to go to the "real" snow...he had such a blast! it didnt hurt either that it was about 70 degrees out either...how often does that happen?

still passing? an update...

it has been 4 days - 2 poops later and a lot of anxiety and still nothing! my sister said one of her patients an 18 month old swallowed a quarter and it took 3 weeks for them to pass it! but if it were a coin it would have shown up on the x-ray...so still guessing...it very well could have been food and his little body broke it down...not sure - thanks for your suggestions and concerns. the good news is that he doesnt seem to be bothered in any way by it...so there is that!

also - no one has entered the Pseudo Give-Away yet...so that means if you comment you have a 100% chance of winning their album right now...good odds! 

Tomte Love

i got this little guy at the SWEA festival - he is so cute! i think i am going to name him Georg...he looks like a Georg, no?















i hope you all are enjoying yourselves...and don't forget to enter the Pseudo-Gveaway!!!

good things come...to even impatient people!

so...we have a place to move into! (insert me singing and dancing with joy) - we havent truly rented for 5 years, so i was so out of touch with the "market" and the process and have been scouring craigslist every day for the past 3 or 4 weeks. i had thought we had found our "home" and we applied on a thursday. she told me she would get back to me in a couple of days and come tuesday i still hadn't heard from her and was freakin a little so i made an appt to see a recent ad that came out in that weekend's gazette...so we went to see it and OH DEAR the house was PERFECT! i am in love with this house...it was built in the 40s and the owner clearly loves the house and didn't marr it with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. it is in such good shape - the hardwood floors and the fireplace and the beautiful yard...and did i mention it is just a couple blocks from the beach? we heard today that we got it and i have been praising God all day. here i was thinking that i was missing out on our "home" when God knew that there were better things to come...oh yeah...also...he said that he was going to lower the rent by $100 also...what??? who does that? anwyay - just a little update for you all - we will be moving in a few short weeks...so expect fewer posts...and posts that center on packing and moving and all the crazy associated with it...but i am so excited to be moving to this darling little place...it makes the all the planning that much more worth it!

it too shall pass...

funny how that phrase has brought me so much comfort over the years (during particularly long crying for who knows what sessions, multiple wakings through the eve, teething, potty-training, saying "nononono" over and over) but now i am just suspended in a state of anxiety over it...

yesterday Bodie swallowed something...we dont know what...he was in our bathroom and bryan was brushing bryson's hair (for like the first time in oh a year or so) when he noticed bodie choking and tried to sweep, but it was gone...we tried to heimlich and slap his back, but it was too far down...he struggled for about 3 minutes to get it down...after it got down he seemed okay...we waited and watched and he seemed fine and drank fine and was playing...he started acting a little fussy a little while longer so we brought him in to urgent care...they did an x-ray but couldnt see anything....so here we are...waiting...for whatever it is to pass...

i had just watched that TLC show this summer, "Your kid ate what?" and felt strangly calmed by it...there was that girl who ate like 50 pellets of rat poison and survived and kids that ate toy trucks and magnets and batteries...my sister (the PA) says that a battery is like the worst thing a kid can swallow for the fear that the stomach acid breaks down the battery to leak acid...which has caused me to treat them like deadly weapons...and when bryson's battery-operated toys run out i promptly throw the batteries away and dont replace like a grinch! anyway - although both of my boys have had numerous dangerous objects in their mouths i have usually been successful in getting them out, so here i am waiting...waiting...wondering...what the hek could be in his sweet little belly???

i am hoping this will pass...and soon...no bowel movement today and i plan on feeding the poor guy prunes and fibrous things all day...any suggestions on how to get a baby to pass a foreign object is welcomed!

angry ginger people

Bryson and Daddy made gingerbread men...one is mommy and one is Bryson...i think they both look a little angry...what do ginger-people have to be angry about anyway? i guess if someone was about to eat you....that would make you made too....

i love that bryan is able to spend time with the boys like this...during the day...while i sit in the office and try to concentrate...and work...and stay off-line...oops...i better get back to work...i am making myself feel guilty now!

Pseudo Rebel Give-A-Way!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - it is high time that i host a give-a-away of Pseudo-Cheer! To the lucky recipient -you will get the album (newly released) - Shut Up N Party - by the Pseudo Rebels...alls you have to do is post a comment of your favorite Pseudo Rebels song/video..Cheers! I will announce the winner in 2 weeks - at the end of the year...(eeks!)

our advent so far...

a time to journal this advent season - amidst the flurry of wrapping and planning and DO-ing!

reading:
i just finished The Magician's Elephant and The Tiger Rising, both by Kate DiCamillo - both were fantastic! i got them in hopes of reading them to Bryson - i would like to start reading him chapter books, but i think these would be probably better for him when he gets a little older...perhaps 7 would be an appropriate age? there are a lot of themes that i think are important and would get lost to a 4 year old...

we are also reading the true Christmas story in the Gospel of Matthew along with several kids books - trying our hardest not to turn Christmas into gift-fest 2009...

i am currently reading Octavian Nothing...has anyone else read this? i am reading it for a book club...it seems like a heavy read and not sure i can swing it as my bedtime book...

making:
i have not been the best gift maker...i have to admit...i have made some zoodies and some Christmas bunting and our stockings and cookies of course, but that is pretty much it! i had high hopes for myself, but i also think i have done pretty well with not making myself crazy in the process!

listening:
to Christmas music a lot! our favorites are the hymns and carols and also some Amy Grant Christmas album, Bebe and Cece Winans Christmas, Muppets Christmas and Handel's Messiah, also XM has 2 great holiday stations - Holly and Holiday Pops...both have been on you better believe!

loving:
our beautiful tree and mantel and fire. oh what a difference lights are to our dark little family room! the smell of the tree and the fire and the lights lifts my soul! also the lights on our house make me smile every time i see them. true, there are about 10 different strings of multi-color lights and true each of the 4 palm trees are covered with white flashing lights and none of them flash the same, and some might laugh at our house, but Bryson and i agree that our house is our favorite on the block!

giving:
i love giving gifts! i rarely stress about gift giving...although i still have quite a bit to do, it is so much fun to take time to think about expressing love to others with a gift. i am trying to involve bryson in this process and he is hilarious - he is constantly wrapping up stuff to give to Bodie or me...like his scissors or stickers on wrapping paper. he still doesn't quite get the whole idea of giving it AWAY though. today we went to Disneyland and he wanted to get Daddy a pirate gun....hmmm...i said...i dont believe daddy would like a pirate gun..."oh" he says, "well if he doesnt like it then i will play with it" - the kid is smart, but the lesson of giving will still take a while i presume...

advent is about waiting and expectation and although last year i was truly filled each day with expectation (our dearest Bodie was due Christmas day and came to us Christmas Eve) this year is also finding us waiting and expecting - not just the excitement surrounding the day, but we are also moving shortly after Christmas. 2 1/2 weeks after to be precise...and although we don't quite know where yet...and although that should maybe make me quite worried...i have a peace about it and i am trying to find the bright side of being able to scale DOWN...way down...and also give away....a lot...of stuff...a lot of stuff!

and somehow i can't be preoccupied with that when i have this insanely excited 4 year old who is truly amazed by the season - by the lights and the smells and the gifts under the tree and the stories and the fires and the singing and all the loveliness of this season, when people take a little time to make it a little special, which to a 4 year old means so so much...i can't help but catch his fever and find that kid in me also. i am so thankful for that child who helps me find my lost child within and feel the warmness surround me. i hope you too are enjoying this advent season and find the little things that bring you back to when Santa was real and wonderment was abundant!

Free iTunes Holiday Album

Did you say free? yes...i did...like free with a catch, or like free, free? FREE - i love this! its a pretty random mix of music - but go to the iStore and download the iTunes Holiday Sampler for...yup FREE! From David Archuleta to the Mexican Marimba band...but from someone who likes to listen to Christmas music the entire month of December it is nice to have some new stuff thrown in there! i am listening to it right now in fact...anyway - Merry Christmas - nice to have a truly free gift these days :)

Pseudo Rebels and Star Wars = Happiness

i seriously get so happy every time i see this video...its such an amazing mix of seeing my hot husband morphed into star wars (my favorite movie) enjoy!

Snoop Dog does GPS...uh-maze-ing

so...i have refused to get a GPS because i seriously am a conspiracy theorist and dont want "the man" being able to track me...but after seeing that movie Eagle Eye with Shia LeBeouf i realized "the man" could find me by my cell phone if he wanted...so whatever...i'm still here anyway...

plus...bryan hates when i give him directions...funny...don't people love that? anyway...now i know we must get a Tom Tom for Christmas because of this...(you can find more information here)

My Semi-Swedish Baby

i made this dala horse shirt for him right before we went to the St. Lucia festival...the swedes loved it...it was a hit...and it took me literally 5 minutes...but i need to stitch it on cause i did a cruddy job with the heat n bond....kinda like the cruddy job i did photographing it...oh wells...i would love to put these up in the shop, but not sure if it would be a hit...

on a side note...when i went to Sweden back in 2001 - i went with a class from Calvin College...and we visited the Dala Horse factory...in the province of Dalarna...we went to Nils Olssen's shop...i guess there is like some wicked Swedish rivalry on the two shops - Nils vs. Grannas...our tour guide person convinced us that Nils is better...even though they look identical...whatever...anyway - if you ever go to Sweden - spend some time in Dalarna - it is by far one of the quaintest, cutest, artistic, beautiful places in Sweden - just a tip...since you were in the midst of planning that Swedish vacation and all...but seriously...if you are ever thinking about taking your kids to Europe - Sweden is such a kid-friendly place...the Swedes are amazingly thoughtful when designing spaces to keep kids in mind. for instance - in Stockholm most stairways have ramps that go through them for wheelchairs and strollers. also - in most museums there is some sort of kid play area (like at IKEA and the play area they have there) there is a famous sculpture garden in sweden and in the front they have a special Pippi Longstocking play area - even the subway is easy to get on and off with a stroller - i saw people doing it...i didnt have kids at the time.

okay - i thought i was just going to show this cute shirt and instead i promoted Sweden...whatever....sorry...i need to get back to work!

Pseudo Rebels - Kool Fine Lovely Video Release!

i love a good collaboration of artists. This is truely that! PR did this video a long while back...i think i had posted something about this...not sure...can't find it...but hopefully i can find the pictures because i made all the puppet costumes to look like the Pseudo Rebels! Yes! Sweet B was the official stylist of this video. my first stylist cred...this is even before they nailed down their rad sweaters, but they have their style much more dialed in now.

Not only that, but they also collaborated with my uncle Kevin - the infamous puppeteer. Click on his name to view his many creds - most recently he is Warehouse Mouse in the "Imagination Movers" TV series on Disney. He also runs a greeting card site Puppet Greetings. Just keep that in mind in case you haven't sent your Christmas card yet!!

Also - our friend Rachael Swanson is the main girl in the video and our friend Jason Naumann was the director. This was a legit video friends! they had extras and a set and crew and talent...most of whom we have had the pleasure to know since we moved to L.A. back in 2001...oh what a crappy year to move to L.A. and try to start anything...my first job interview out of college was at Dreamworks on Sept 11th...not good. that is beside the point...the point being this awesome video!! enjoy friends!

SWEA St Lucia Festival

i took the boys (minus the BIG boy) to the St. Lucia Festival at the Shrine in L.A. - hosted by SWEA. we had a little tradition growing up of going to the Orange County one. as a child i remember the little swedish kids eating cavier out of a tube (still grosses me out) and fishing in a little pond for goodie bags, the smorgasbord of goodies, getting ornaments for our tree and of course seeing St. Lucia with the candles in her head and the beautiful singing.

i am hoping to help create those memories for my boys. granted they are less swedish and they do have other cultures for which to celebrate...but st. lucia day is dear to my heart and our family and i hope to pass that on...even if i don't ever have a little st. lucia of my own :) - there were loads of awesome vendors - not just dala horses and candleabras - there were really neat swedish designers - of jewelry and wooden toys and clothes and i dont know - a lot of cool stuff. i was able to get some shirts for the boys - i will post a pic when they dress in it - so cute! also of course i got my tomte... still need to take a picture of him...he is guarding our mantle right now..very busy.

it was good fun - i loved the size of the l.a. one - next year it would be better to go with others...so someone could stay with the kids while someone else waited in lines...there wasn't a whole lot for the little kids to do, but bryson did find the crafts table and of course the fishing pond, where he got a little goodie bag of stickers and suckers...he took all the pictures of St. Lucia - i think he had a little crush - i don't blame him - she was gorgeous!

God Jul everyone!

Pseudo Rebels Phenomenom

so here is the reason behind all my posting madness this week. it took babysitters and lonely nights, but here is bryan's latest video editing, enjoy:

One Day Left! Belmont Heights United Methodiest Church Craft Fair

one day left to get all this home-made goodness! lotsa lotsa baby stuff, kid stuff, candles, cookies, pajama bottoms that apparently are the hot ticket, hair goodies! come support handmade! if you live in Long Beach please stop by Friday Dec 4th from 11 - 4!! and bring your checkbook! or cash!

Belmont Heights United Methodist Church
317 Termino Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90814

Shop Update! Skunk Zoodie Up in Shop

a little stinker stopped by our booth today so i got an extra model...the amazing Asher Dasher Do is famous now!

these went up today in the shop (over a month late i may add) and there just may be more headed there soon!

i (and linsey also) realized that we have a lot more stuff than is on our *online* shop...really because of lack of models...okay lack of willing models....and female models...sheesh! both our boys have banned us from using them ever ever evah again. so if you know any girls who LOVE trying on clothes and smiling for the camera...there just could be a twirly skirt in it for her....just sayin!

Black Santa and St. Lucia meet and fall in love....

I love our black santa....this is one of the first gifts i ever gave to Bryan...back in college...like 10 years (gasp) ago. I had, at that time, never seen one (i grew up in a very Swedish household in Orange County please forgive me), but heard that you could buy them. I made my friend drive me to 3 different K-Marts to find it. and it was the last one. and he is awesome. little did i know then that black santa would be apart of our family for all these Christmases...i mean i hoped and prayed and prayed and prayed...AMEN! he has been a tree-topper, a mantle piece and a centerpiece and always had a starring role in our Christmas decorating...but it wasn't until last year that i found this sweet little (handmade in Sweden) St. Lucia at a thrift store! what??? i was so stoked. by far the best thrift store find evah! i was with Rashelle at a goodwill in Fullerton and probably peed my pants a little ( i was very pregnant so that part is probably true).

anyway...now black santa is very happy...he has hisself a gerrllfriend. (if, at this point you are wondering who the hay is St. Lucia - i blogged about it last year). they are together now at last and shall not be separated...during the advent season anyway....

Sweet B Custom Family Labor Stockings

Can i please apologize to my readers on the awful staging and photography here? bryan (my dear husband) is really the picture taker of the bunch and since he is very busy editing movies right now he has no time to indulge me in my little shop or blog! that plus the fact i was trying to take the picture in horrible lighting whilst holding a fitful babe...okay - enough excuses...onto the stockings!

These stockings deserve their own story. its a good one. promise. last year around this time i was expecting our second child (now named Bodie) and my sister-in-law was working for a trade show booth company and one of her clients was a textile company and i begged her to ask them for their previous year samples (which they throw away!!! can you believe it???) she brought me two - 2!! - boxes of samples...beautiful textiles - velvets and upholstery textiles...but very funky sizes...like half a yard with cuts all in them. i wasn't sure how to use this amazing stash of amazing fabrics...i came upon the idea to create stockings out of them - using the upholstery fabric for the base and the velvet to embroider.

now...bear with me...at this time...i was due Dec. 25th. i was preparing for a home birth. my mother was staying with us. my MIL and FIL were also staying with us. it was the week of my due date and all week long i had been having very frustrating contractions. like we were timing them and then they would stop. like Bryan kept pestering me every day about when he should fill the tub. like our midwife was called approximately 10 times! so...on the 23rd i thought that this was it and these contractions were in fact the real deal and then i found myself stared at by all the guests in my house and monitored and concerned and then i realized that i needed to leave...but i couldn't leave because i was having a HOME birth...so i had to stay at HOME. grrrrr...so i needed a project....so i decided to make stockings for my husbands entire family and my mother and my step-father - 15 people to be exact! 15 embroidered beautiful stockings....the perfect distraction!

what is sorta kinda funny is that i meant to make stockings for just our little family...i have always hated the stockings that Bryan bought at Target for me and Bryson and him and remembered the wonderful cross-stitched lovely velvet and satin stockings my mother had made for our family growing up and wanted the same on my mantle...but 4 stockings would not take up like 5 hours of sewing! and no one pestered me and i was left alone to concentrate on something other than contractions and it was the perfect distraction. i presented them to my very surprised and grateful MIL and I  went to bed that night and woke during the night with a jolt of a very active CONTRACTION and immediately ordered Bryan to fill the tub and call the midwife (which made him very happy to have a definite order) and began the journey of bringing sweet Bodie into this world.

So i have dubbed these my labor stockings and that memory of that time in our lives during the best Christmas ever will live on in these stockings...well her stockings...(my mother-in-laws) i never did get around that day to actually making any for us. Partly because i was over it at that point and partly because i felt wierd about embroidering Bodie's stocking...like i would jinx it or something...so flash forward to this year and to pulling out our Christmas decorations and our *lame* Target stockings and i just had to make some for us...cause it just wouldn't be right to let another year go by without some home-made stockings. I am really happy with how they turned out and Bryan (of course) wants me to take them to Christmas tree farms and try to sell the bejeebees out of them...which i don't know what planet of "all the time in the world" he is from, but he does have a good point.

I recently embroidered some stockings for a girlfriend who lamented that all the local embroidery places have recently gone out of business, so i thought i would offer these to any of you who may be interested.

I have refrained from posting them in our shop because my fabric supply is diverse, but limited in quantity and i feel like it is such a custom order and the client should know what i have available. So - if you are interested in obtaining your own embroidered hand-made stockings and also don't inhabit that planet of all the time in the world either email me at carleekajsa (at) gmail (dot) com or convo me in our shop and i can work it out for you - show you what i have available. I can crank these out within the week, so you can have them displayed for *most* of the season - plus you will have them for years to come!

These are dubbed my labor stockings from now on...although...most handmade goodness is indeed a labor of love in its own right, right?

Bryson's Bloodholes

we finally are in the midst of putting all our videos up that we have taken this year...seriously how did a year get by us? the problem is that all our personal videos are all mixed in with Pseudo Rebels and right now the personal videos are taking a back seat...but sifting through i found this little gem...its long...apologies...so watch it when you are on hold with the phone company or something...with all the editing Bryan is doing for PR there is no way we are getting ours edited too!

anyway....if you follow his blog- www.brysonbarnes.blogspot.com - and if you know bryson...you know there is no way i could possibly type as fast as that kid talks...bryan has been in the office several times when i do a post for him and he always says that the actual posting is funnier than the post itself...i agree...this is a cute little show of what goes into one of his posts...he takes it very serious..if you watch it all the way through you see me struggling to try to explain the basics of Christianity to a 3 year old...not easy...and it caught me off guard, but funny nonetheless!

You can view the original post here