Here Again. Maybe?

So, I got booted from my blog due to a serious mixup with accounts and websites and whatnot.  Now I am back.  Hopefully for real this time.
Been wondering what is going around here with The Small One and The Man of the House (TMOTH)?  Well, pretty much, the usual.  The Small One is always funny.  And bratty.  Which is to be expected from a 4 year old.  And by the by, FOUR YEARS?  HOW IS SHE THAT OLD?  They are not kidding when they say time flies.
TMOTH carries on with working a lot, doing projects on our house (with me!) and being amusing.
So, here is a quick rundown of the recent past.  I am only going to do recent, because I don't really remember further back.  We are boring, so, there you go.
Christmas was good.  It sneaked up on me again.  I know, I know, how can I be surprised by something that occurs at the same time every year?  Well, trust me, I can.  Part of it was TMOTH working a lot.  Part of it was me working later in December than I really like.  Part of it was the lack of snow.  I just wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit this year, and that was a bit of a disappointment.  But, The Small One had an excellent Christmas.  She got a little barn with horses and people (dollhouse style) from my dad, which she promptly named Tambley farm.  Why Tambley Farm, you may ask?  Because that is what came out of her pencil when she wrote the sign.  She is getting to a point where she can sound out letters and words, but sometimes she just writes things, and that is why Tambley Farm.
It had two cows and two horses.  One white horse, one brown horse.  In case you are unaware, and it is likely you are, white horses are unicorns.  No, I don't know why.  I am not a 4 year old girl.  Unicorns are white, white horses are white.  White horses must be unicorns.




The Small One also got a dollhouse from me ( I built it!) It was actually a kit given to me when I was 12 or so, that I never finished.  Funny thing is, when I posted a pic on facebook, my friend called me and told me she recognized that dollhouse, because we had worked on it when we were small!  She loves it, but it is huge, and really, she did not need more huge toys.  Everything the child owns is huge.  We don't do things by halves.



And, speaking of not doing things by halves, the be-all and end-all present she got?  Something she has been begging me for for 6 months.  A pottery wheel.  Not just any pottery wheel, but a beautiful, full size, teak and granite pottery wheel made by none other than her daddy.  It is awesome.  Teak throw wheel, granite kick wheel, teak seat, metal frame, powder coated to a shiny white.  She will be able to use it the rest of her life.  And boy, does she love it.  And, she is good at it, too.  I was surprised, but I shouldn't have been.  She is rather tricky with her hands.
If you wonder why she wanted a pottery wheel, and well you might, since a lot of our friends thought it was a curious thing for a small child to want, I shall inform you. 
Back in June, we went to our local Heritage Festival.  Living in an old, small town, these things are popular.  At said event, there was a gentleman doing pottery and allowing the children to try it out.  So, she did.  Then a couple of months later, we were at a farmer's market/festival thing and there was another potter.  Then, she discovered that her Uncle Danny does pottery and that he made some of our bowls.  Well, that did it.  She had to have a pottery wheel.  And she did not forget about it. 
We looked at kids pottery wheels, the motorized kind, not too expensive.  But the reviews were terrible.  They didn't last, the rpms were too slow to actually do anything, etc.  So, TMOTH being clever, like he is, we decided he would build one. 
Of course, being on a budget, there was no way we could buy a real pottery wheel.  They range from about $400-$1000, which is a ridiculous amount to spend on a 4 yr old.  Luckily, we had everything but the granite, which was also free from a friend.  All we paid for was the powder coating and the shaping of the granite.  Awesome.
So, while it looked like massive amounts of money were spend on the child, we really only spent about $100.  Which is how it generally works out.  Having crafty parents is good.  Except that it often means that the child needs a GIANT playroom to hold her giant playthings.  Giant dollhouse, giant pottery wheel, 3 piece play kitchen, rocking horse, playhouse, dress up closet.  When you can make whatever you want, it is hard to scale back. ;)
And, TMOTH and I enjoy the building of said playthings.  We took turns in the evenings working on our respective projects.  He would come home, eat, then go out and work on the pottery wheel until 9, then come in and get The Small One ready for bed and I would go out and work on the dollhouse until about 11 or 12.  Fortunately for us, we have nice garage heaters.
Ok, so I will REALLY try to post more often this year.  It is one of my New Years Resolutions.  Wish me luck.