Merry Christmas!

After a nightmare of a day spent waiting in airports yesterday, we finally arrived in Las Vegas at 1 am this morning. 5 hours later than our original arrival time. We are tired...but oh so happy to be with our family.

I don't plan on posting while on holiday. I will catch up in the new year. Hope you have a wonderful holiday spent with loved ones. Merry Christmas!

Getting There

It's a race against time now. I still have two more of these guys to make, and this one's not even completely finished. I originally planned on making 5. The ones that were intended for Dylan & I will have to wait.

I'm off to take the dog to be groomed & then shop for a party dress with both kids in tow. Wish me luck!

Soup

I've been on a soup kick this week. I'm loving that everything just goes in one pot, that they're pretty inexpensive meals & that they are usually meatless. It's also such an easy way to get a lot of vegetables in.

We tried Caitlin's Broccoli Cheese Soup. It was a big hit. No leftovers that night. We gave this Tuscan Bean soup a go as well. It was yummy too. Again, no leftovers. Tonight it was a big pot of chili. I messed up though. I thought that I had cornmeal in the pantry so that I could try these muffins. I was wrong. So sad.

I'm still wanting to try a Butternut Squash Soup but I'm so afraid that my family won't like it.

Anyway, I'm on a kick & we're enjoying it. What's your favorite soup?

Doorway Puppet Theater

I'm pleased with how it turned out. Aside from the tension rod & a couple dowels, it's made entirely from thrifted materials. I love the large blue floral print fabric for the valances. This was a set of drapes that I cut up. The fabric isn't a cotton & it has a bit of a stretch to it, which turned out to be a major pain in the butt. But I think it was worth a few minor headaches. This is also the first time that I used bias tape & I think I'm in love.

Oh! The first night I got started on this I sewed all the hems. The next day I noticed that half my hems were facing the wrong way. I did not want to pick out those long hems & redo them, so I just decided that they were going to stay that way. I'm still glad I made that decision. My kids will still love it.

Moving Right Along

So I finished the puppet theater earlier today. I'll share a photo of it later. I don't want to put it up until the girls are asleep. And lookie what arrived on my doorstep today. Perfect timing. I'm ready to get going on the next batch of gifts.

I'm trying very hard not to get stressed & I feel that I'm doing a pretty good job of working through my list of handmade gifts. Every spare minute is spent either thinking about them or working on them. I keep remembering that there are other chores that need to be done....like making preparations to leave town. I still need to:

1. get the dog groomed
2. pull out the 6-12 month clothes for Claire.
3. make sure we have enough luggage
4. plan a Christmas activity for the 8-11 year old activity days girls. Help!
5. find a substitute for my Sunday school class.
6. get my loose ends gift shopping done.

I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting. That list doesn't look so bad. Oh, but it is so bad in my mind. I keep telling myself...."keep your cool". Just don't let me think about how I only have 9 days left to get this all done. Yikes!

Around Here...

we're seeing a lot of this these days:

Don't worry. The crib mattress has been lowered.

Also very impressive:


And her favorite, climbing on me:


Also, the gift making is moving along. I'm not able to share all of my creations....for surprises would be ruined. This tissue cozy is for my grandma. The fabric was hidden inside a grab bag of thrifted fabrics. A pleasant little surprise that I found once I got home & was able to better inspect all that the bag contained. I thought maybe grandma should really have one in the red polka dot...better to spot in her purse, but I'm loving the pretty green print more today.


Who knows, maybe I'll just give her two. I can't think of anybody that needs a tissue cozy more than my grandma, so I'm excited to give this to her. And just for the record, she's getting more than just tissue holders. :)

And....goodness for your belly! We had this soup last night. There were no leftovers. It has such good flavor, you could even omit the bacon for a meatless option. This recipe doesn't make a whole lot so you may need to double it if cooking for a family.

Visiting Ol' St. Nick

We took the girls to go see Santa last night. I've been asking Sadie what she wants Santa to bring her & everyday the answer changes. A lot of times I have no idea what she is asking for. One time she said she wanted an Incredibles suit. Well, last night when Santa asked her what she wanted she told him, "the opening doors". Hmmm....

Last week at the library they had an area set up where the kids could write letters to Santa & a big mailbox for them to drop them in. I helped Sadie write her letter. She told Santa about how she got a stitch near her eye & when I asked her what she wanted him to leave under the tree she said, "A little teddy bear for my sister Claire. She will like that." So cute. Last night she told Santa about the teddy bear for Claire. That's the only request that has stayed consistent.

Are you ready for a whole lot of Santa photos? Sadie was very excited. She loves Santa this year. Waiting our turn was a little hard for her, but she did great.






I hadn't planned on putting Claire on Santa's lap. I just figured I'd spare her. That's why she is dressed in such yucky pajamas. Well, we went with it & she actually lasted for a few photos. Years later she'll look back on this photo & ask me why the heck I took her to Santa looking like this.

This Santa is actually the dad of our friend Mark from church. Mark had given Santa some notes ahead of time on some of the kids he knew that would be visiting Santa that night.
Santa was supposed to tell Sadie to keep wearing her glasses & he was also going to mention that he was aware that she would be spending Christmas in Las Vegas. Santa was a little busy last night & instead told Sadie to make sure she eats her vegetables.


Santa also had a gift for Sadie last night (all Mark's doing as well). It was a doll. A little boy doll. Sadie brought him home & walked him around in her stroller & took him to bed with her. She named him Garleek. (i know....what the?) She told me this morning that she wanted to go see Santa again.

Two Reasons Why....

I am very glad that I decided to hit the thrift store this morning. These two fabrics are making me very happy today. There's over 2 yards of each. Ideas of projects to use these in keep popping into my head.

What would you use them for?

Red & Blue

I updated the shop today with just a few things. It seems to be a red & blue day. These two tote bags will be the last handmade items that I put up in the shop until after the holidays. I need to put some serious focus into making gifts.

Gumdrop Wreath

I've been wanting to do this since last year. I didn't buy enough gumdrops & it didn't turn out as lovely as it could have, but it's about spending time together, right? This one was fun for Sadie.

Tiny Totes

Gifts for the little girls on our list. I need to make one more still. I like the one on the left the best. How about you?

Garland Swap Received

Candi sent me such great stuff for the garland swap. I love this garland with the vinyl ornaments on metal & the fabric yo-yos in between. Even Dylan likes it & that says a lot!! Sorry for the weird photos....I had junk on my mantel & haven't been able to get any good sunlight since I cleaned it off.



I love when the light reflects off the metal pieces.


She also gave me lots of cool ribbons, some cutie cute fabric scraps, a totally adorable mr. owl wall decal & some Ghirardelli chocolate caramel squares (i sent her the same candy...hee hee).


You can get your own ornaments to string on a ribbon for a cute little garland, or an owl decal & lots of other super cute stuff from Candi's shop website Scribble It.

Brrrr

We got a little bit of snow this morning & Sadie could not contain her excitement. I let her go out on the patio for a little bit, but we're getting really nasty wind with gusts up to 50 mph, so I lured her back in with a mug of hot cocoa. She didn't let me forget the "mushmellows". She was so cute. She wanted to make an angel. Not enough snow for that. I guess the time has come to get her snow boots for this year.


We live in an old house. It's quite drafty. The worst spot is this door that leads to the stairwell down to the front door. The stairwell is always freezing & this door has an inch gap where the cold just pours in. I made this draft snake the other night. It took me all of 10 minutes to make it. It is quite amazing the difference it makes. Our front room stays so much more toasty. Unfortunatly, Sadie found it & has now made it her own toy, so I need to make a new one. Actually, I need to whip up quite a few more of these for different doors & windows throughout the house. I love making something practical & useful with stuff I've got around the house.


This is basically just a tube of fabric filled with lentils. You could also fill it with any other kinds of dried beans or rice. Cut your fabric whatever length you need plus an inch & 4" wide. With right sides together, sew up the long end & down one of the short ends. Flip it out. Fill it. Turn in the other end & sew closed. Easy Peasy.

December!

Yesterday Sadie & I made a paper chain garland to use as an advent. Quick, easy & she was already excited to tear a link off this morning.

I came across the idea for a Christmas jar & can't get the idea out of my head. I love it when we get to spend time together as a family & I think I want to really make the holidays about that this year. Here's to making more happy, family memories!

Biter Biscuit

After on & off teething episodes for the past few months, I think Claire is breaking a tooth. I gave her a biter biscuit yesterday & she thoroughly enjoyed it.




Note to self: remember to only give biter biscuits just before bath time.

Cozy Up

My contribution for the Mixtapery group. I thought you all might be interested in my packaging. I sewed scraps of fabric onto the paper. The thought was that it would look like a warm, comfy quilt. All ten covers are different. Check out my list of songs & why I chose them over here.

Garland Swap!

Sending this off to Candi today. It's just a bunch of torn strips of fabric tied around a string of white Christmas lights. When I first got going on this, I thought I made my fabric strips too long, but I think the shaggy length looks great with the playful colors.



And just a few other surprises wrapped up cute!


Check out more fabulous garland creations in the flickr group!

What I've Been Up To

* Going to the movies with my family.
* Shopping for & dressing my girls in their Christmas dresses. Oh and a little 6 am black friday shopping as well.
* Decorating for Christmas. Stringing a cranberry garland while watching Scrooged with my husband.
* Enjoying some books from the library...particularly this one.
* Spending 2-1/2 hours at the optometrist's office & coming home to a big bowl of rocky road ice cream.

Sunshine Even When She's Sick

Claire is sick. You know the drill. Runny nose, raw from being wiped. Watery, goopey eyes. Sleeping lots during the day but waking up more frequently at night. Poor thing. She's pretty happy right after she wakes up from her naps though & I caught her here just between taking off her jammies & dressing her for the day. I'm always so pleased to see her in her diaper. You forget how little you see that baby skin when they're always in their long sleeved winter wardrobe.

I should be cleaning out the fridge today...getting it ready for all that Thanksgiving food. But instead I've been playing & cuddling with my girls. Sadie & I had a really tough day yesterday. We were not clicking with eat other. I was trying to get through too many errands. Today we are just letting it all go. Balance.....I have such a hard time achieving it.

Sadie Is Thankful For...

Made in nursery on Sunday. Glad we made it in there along with Cinderella, toys & lots of princesses.

Hot Cocoa

Dylan just told me that I look like a little kid when I'm drinking my hot cocoa. He says it's obvious to him that I'm enjoying every bit. I guess I get a little giddy about it.

Since you guys always have the answers to everything, I'm asking you to teach me. Teach me the art of hot chocolate making. What are the best brands? Or should I go from scratch? Is there a quick way to make it from scratch? What about add ins? I obviously like the marshmallows, but that may be because my Swiss Miss mix just isn't sweet or tasty enough on it's own. Anyway, please share your yummy, chocolatey knowledge. Thanks.

Oh Yeah....The Kids

I've been so busy taking photos of stuff for the shop that I hardly took any photos of the girls this week. Bad mom!

Claire is just a doll. She has her mouth open like this a lot & she makes this real airy, breathy sound when she's excited.




Sadie got her peacock Barbie as a reward for wearing her glasses. When you ask a kid to look at you & smile, is it possible to get any other look than this? Not with my kid. She's started putting her glasses on without even being asked. I think she can recognize now that she sees better with them on.

A Nice Surprise

Check me out over at Vintage Indie today!

Okay, So....

I didn't mean for that last post to be such a downer. And I was really trying to say that the "good holiday" is the one that gets me stressed out. I know I'm not the only one that gets a slight stressful feeling at the thought of Christmas. Sure it's behind a whole lot of excitement...but it's always there.

As far as Thanksgiving goes, I'm starting to get a little more excited. I still need to figure out what my menu will be, but I'm way excited to have Dylan home for the weekend & I'm planning some fun activities.

Anyway, I wanted to share a few fun links that are inspiring me & making me get really excited for Christmas.

this little fabric pocket advent calendar * this cool ornament tutorial * this cute as can be garland * these tags made from vintage cuteness * and these sweet ornaments

Still haven't been to K-Mart to check out Martha's holiday line & I need to spend some time checking out Target's goods as well. That's always fun.

Almost Naked

Gee whiz....is it already time to buy a turkey? Why do I have no excitement for Thanksgiving this year? Perhaps because it's just going to be us at home. All I can think about is all the work & my kitchen is kinda crappy. Not a fun "let's cook a huge meal!" kinda kitchen.

Oh well....let's get on with it so we can get going with the good holiday. Oooh. Just as I said that I started to feel stressed.

Finding & Listing

I've been finding lots of treasures on my recent shopping trips. I love each of them & wish that I had the space to keep them all. But the desire to pay off debts always wins & so I list them for sale. I've been photographing items for the shop this morning & plan on adding them here & there over the next few days. You, my friends, get a sneak peek. Enjoy.





Oh! I came across another plate set. They're in the shop as well.

Good Morning Sunshine!

Blury photo, but it makes me smile. See that light shining on the girls? The sun is out this morning & I've been running around taking photos like a mad woman. So happy to see this sunlight after a few dark & gloomy days. Sadie keeps saying...."what's this mom?" when she happens to end up in a spot where that low autumn light shines through the windows & hits her. "It's in here too!" she said when we walked into the kitchen to get her some milk. So cute.

We are going on day 6 of wearing her glasses full time. Sadie had just come out of bed when I took this photo. Just a few minutes after taking it she put her glasses on.....get this!!.....without me asking her to. Incredible. I'm so happy!

I love little Claire in this photo too. She's mastered the army crawl & gets wherever she wants like this. Her favorite spot is the phone & answering machine that we have sitting on the ground. I know...don't ask. We need to find a better solution for that PWT little setup.