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D. E. A. R.

Books are one of my favorite gifts to give. And for that matter, one of my favorite gifts to receive. The Matilda Jane book (above) is what I made for the MJC Team Leaders. It took hours and I mean hours, hours of so much fun. There are so many forgotten photos in there from the very first art fair, to Jason setting up the display rack, to moving into Fairfield Manor and all the way up to the last conference.  It has so many proud moments.

While it may pale in comparison to this book David received on Bon Jovi, we are still pretty dang cool. If you like BonJovi, you need this book. It has fantastic photos and a great story. I just started reading it out of boredom and I'm hooked. Yes, I get bored. The kids were in the bath and I still wait and sit. 

Joe and Gabe got these. The Lego one totally inspires me to start collecting Lego guys. They are so dang cute.

And the Blog books from David. Love them. So hilarious, I can't believe, okay, more like I am so thankful for all you guys who stick around for my nonsense. I have noticed in reading I am a little negative sounding..,,I'm more sarcastic if anything. I need to watch that, some times people don't know how to take me! Ahh..I sense a New Years Resolution..

Now these 2 pictures suck but I love them.

Gabe calls this his closet. Not sure why. He informed me he needs a new one. He keeps all his "special" toys in here. Don't you love that. I'm sure your kids do the same, it is just so great.... all the little oddling toys they collect. And you don't dare touch or move a thing cuz they know EXACTLY where it is.

Told you the pics suck, but they are just so Gabe.

Crush

Another great Christmas has come and gone. The boys were so much fun to watch. Though I want Gabe to stay little, every year gets more fun with him. Oh, and not to mention I think the older they get the more they fight.  Wow.

Though, another Christmas has come and gone without the Barbershop painting hanging in the house but I did get a great gift. David had my blog made into a book which is so awesome.

Off to watch a movie as David is shouting from the kitchen where the fall line consumes the counters, "I have a great name for a dress". He goes on to tell me a story about a girl he had a crush on in 3-4th grade and I should name a dress after her. Her name is KK. Pretty cute, huh? So be on the look out for a KK dress in honor of David's crush!

Just a little peak before I start cleaning my house up for the big day. I have MJC laying all over the place. This is the one time a year, for one day only, I try to make my  house look like a home and not a workshop!

I hope you all have a great Christmas. And your kids eyes are hearts are full of sparkle and cheer.

Meet Gabe's new little pal, Chocolate. The tiniest, cutest, little hedgehog thing on the planet. Oh, the kids are in their glory today. We haven't even got dressed. Well, Okay, I had a Dr.'s appt at 8:30, ran some last minute errands and been laying around since.

The craziest thing happened. I got this nice big ol' box from JCrew today.  I was like, hmmm...did I ordere something and forget about it? I open it up expecting a real cute dress or something for the boys. Love those folks at JCrew. It was my brothers Christmas gifts packed in a JCrew box. UPS must've scanned an old tag or something but they next day'd it back to me.  I was a little bummed my brother David wouldn't get it on time but more excited that JCrew was so nice to even send it back to me. And let alone send it back Next Day.

And with that said, I need to go find a little gift for you and get the Diet Coke out of my car before it freezes.  Merry Christmas to you all...

I love these photos Betsy took a few years back. I was so fortunate to meet her.  We went to a Christmas party a few streets over. I almost backed out last minute cuz Chris and Tim could not come, but we toughened up and went anyways. It was fate cuz I met the talented Betsy King and lucked out. She squeezed a shoot in right before Christmas and they are some of my favorite pics ever.

I can't handle how small Gabe is, I really do not want him to get any bigger. It's tough as you all know. I can barely carry all 70lbs of Joe and now Gabe he is reaching 42lbs. Ya, they were playing on the scale today...that's how I know.

And my Joe? Oh, my Joe. I picked out a great gift for him and David has been trying for days to tell me to return it. I'm not backing down...I'm sticking with my gut cuz I know he'll love it.

And these girls...love them too. Why are girls so dang cute. I think I'd like one about 6-9 months if anyone has one to share. 

When I see this pic it reminds me of my most favorite present. Oh, and you can see what it inspired tomorrow. When I was I think in 4th grade my mom made all of us quilts for Christmas. And not just a quilt but a doll with a matching dress. Mine was greens and purples, Deedee's was white with little flowers, Doug's had Snoopy on it I think and David, I can't remember.

I still have it upstairs. I love that thing. Doug and I used to make the coolest Christmas gifts. We made those star ornaments with pins and little beads with our picture in the middle, we made pillows and ooh I gotta think. The kids are going crazy playing with David and screaming like crazy right now....some kind of "tackle dad and get the football from him" game. I can't focus.

Well, I got 3 minutes till Christmas movie number 3.

Last week we sent out all kinds of wonderful Christmas surprises. And this week the girls are busy cleaning the workshop but I think they need a quick change of pace. So I'll give you till tomorrow, say 12:00 noon and if you have any great requests  for some girls that would love a new Christmas dress email it to Sam and we'll see what we can do. Her email is samm@matildajaneclothing.com. You'll need to send an address, size, or adult size ( a great idea for a college girl who needs a pick me up) by noon. She'll send you a note if you got picked.

it's nearly 2am and hopefully our plane will come and pick us up soon. Yup, can you say delay.  Ha, that word is getting used way too much lately. And it's pertaining to Lynette doing her Christmas shopping, so we need to get home. She's got 3 great kids who need something good under that tree. Me? Well,we got it all done before I left but I think 5 days with no mom may start making David a little antsy for me to get home.

The PA keeps going off and I keep freaking that they are just trying to re-book people. Lynette says no but something is going on.  My problem is I cannot stop going into that little store and eating the samples of chocolate covered coffee beans. It is starting to look suspicious.

I told David when I get home we are watching an Xmas movie every night. No work stress. It is the holidays and it's all about the kids. And it's all about trying to stay on a diet. Good luck with that huh?

Oh, my gosh so from the emails I hear there was a stunning little girl in Southern Living wearing MJC. Wow, super cool and pinch me for real. And then, Taco Bell. What's up with one of my favorite little girls in all of Fort Wayne gracing the cup. Ha, she's certainly showing her dad up, huh? Talk about personality, if you ever met her, you'd keep that cup as a keepsake. 

And we can't forget about our customer Renee. Her daughter is still in the running in the Gap Casting call. Oh and we all love to spread some love so be sure to give her a vote www.gap.com/castingcall .  You've got till the 21st to make some little girl pretty dang happy.  Ya, her mom too.

The PA lady continues and everyone has fallen asleep around me. Lynette is reading her REAL boring LOVE story!  Well, I must run for my last handful of free sample candy before the lady breaks some news...and it'd better not be a longer DELAY

I Love Lucy

We have arrived....1 days and 2 hours late...and the worst part was I had just paid 500 bucks to change our tickets to arrive Monday.  Man, I should not have done that cuz we got here Tuesday, okay Wednesday morning at 3 am instead. But hey, I got to watch 500 days of Summer so who cares how long the flight was.

We are staying at a new hotel this time. We were so excited, the pictures looked ultra modern. When we walked into the lobby our expectations were surely met. It is so dang gorgeous. Then we got out of the coolest, sleekest elevator ever and opened the door to our room......

We burst out in laughter. It is so I love Lucy....I guess I am gonna be Lucy and Lynette can be Ricardo cuz we are sleeping less than 6" apart in our perfectly little twin beds complete with a hot tub less than 2 feet away. Talk about hilarious...heck we even have this..

Oh, I am so laughing right now..this is like a 60's swinger joint.  But I am not really supposed to be blogging right now... gotta get back to working on this...yes, just my favorite thing ever. Talk about fresh, colorful, a bit preppy and oh so dang cool and a zillion new items....pure love.

Oh, did you know washcloths are not a common item in Lima? I just learned this. Our room had only towels and we were told no washcloths....Hmmm.

sorry for all the ....... just thinking.....and that's what dots mean....

This is Matilda Jane's first home at Fairfield Manor (well, MJC actually started right in our house....shipping orders out of our living room).  About 1 year ago we moved out of Fairfield Manor and into our current building, aka 435.  We leased only the first floor of our 435 building, but today, we officially moved into the second floor as well.   Chris spent all day getting that upstairs all cleaned up and ready.  We're very excited....but not too excited about having to carry boxes and boxes of stuff upstairs.  The building has a freight elevator.....it just needs to be serviced before we can use it. 

Flights were delayed today and we'll be arriving in Peru a day late.  Talk to you soon....

The Sparkler

Don't you just love when you get those few moments when you really see your child light up? I am telling you to watch Joe  is one of my favorite things to do. The boy just sparkles. I am pretty convinced that is one of the reasons I told David it'd be okay to leave Gabe with Mimi and Papa and we would take Joe, just Joe, to Indianapolis for the weekend. We took him to see a Pacers game and Star Wars in Concert.

He is so much like me in the fact he is not easily impressed and almost a little boring!! When we surprised him one afternoon with a trip to Disney he really didn't flinch. In fact, he said, "Oh, I wanted to go to the hockey game."  But when he is in love like he is with music I knew Star Wars would be a sure bet. I think I watched him the entire time.  I couldn't take my eyes off him. Don't you just love those moments!

One thing that is always a sure bet is his cousin Sophie. Joe just adores her. When we were Christmas shopping today the only thing he cared about was Sophie's gift.

Speaking of gifts, for the past umm..say 7 years (since Joe was a baby) I have wanted one painting. I have asked every year for it. I call it the BarberShop painting. It hung in a restaurant here in Fort Wayne that has since moved locations. It was painted by George McCullough who has also since died. So good luck finding it this year David!!

Joe was named after both his great grandfathers and both were barbers. I need that painting. It is so Joe. When I see it, it pulls me back to the days I'd go to my grandpa's shop and beg for candy, or the times he would sneak a dollar bill into my pocket. I love that man and I love that painting for flooding me with so many memories. David on the other hand does not like it, and that is his excuse for never buying it. Ya, an excuse for 7 years but guess what, I love it and am still hoping for it to show up someday.

And now for a NEWS BULLETIN:

I am sorry I have not had comments on the past few days. I love reading the comments, as I am sure you do also. We thought it would be a great and fun idea to have a Photo Love contest…with the understanding that art is a very subjective thing. What I did not expect was hurtful comments to be left on my blog about some of the photographers who were involved.  They certainly didn’t deserve that.  I leave myself open for criticism and know we all don’t see eye to eye. But when it comes to criticizing others on my blog I just don’t find it necessary and would ask that everyone respect others feeling when you are leaving a comment.

But on a much more positive note, Lynette and I are off to Peru tomorrow for a week to go over the 2010 Spring and Fall Lines….. So excited and its supposed to be warm which makes it all that better.

a DrumRoll please

and the winner is...the one and only Skye Johansen.

I am so excited about pHoTo LoVe. It was such great fun to see all the creative sparks. Dang, maybe when Skye comes visit she can teach me a thing or two?  Yup, Skye just won and all expense trip for 2 to Dress Rehersal in January. She will one of the first to see the spectacular Spring Collection, so excited about this. We love to show off 435. And the 3 runner ups will receive $300 gift certificates to Matilda Jane.

This has been such a great contest and thank you to all the photographers and to all you voters!