Fun on warm December days
Lost front tooth
Well, the girls wore their new princess snuggies and fuzzy slippers. I know, I caved. The snuggies were swooned over every time they were seen so I got them. After taking a closer look at them, the construction is so simple...I could have made them. Hmmm, maybe that'll go on my list of easy gifts to make.
The girls were thrilled and very thankful for every single gift. It was so great to see them appreciate their gifts. It didn't matter if it was a simple pair of gloves, a pack of gum, a bed tent (pictures to come) or an electronic game. The genuine excitement and the quickly following gratitude was enough to make my heart overflow.
After lunch and rest time the girls put on their fancy dresses so we could go to Grandma and Pop's house for the family gathering. Naturally we ate ourselves silly, then enjoyed dessert and coffee. Not too long after that everyone was showered with more gifts. The girls got Baby Alive dolls that drink and wet. Many, many diapers have been soaked and changed.
Now, it's time for me to switch gears. I've got to prepare for a birthday party for a certain someone who will be turning eight years old. I've got some sewing planned for the annual birthday outfit, plus some extras. Oh, speaking of sewing, I decided to sew some of my gift wrap this year. I dashed out to the fabric store for a fabulous sale and snagged some lovely fabric.
These lovely grosgrain ribbon tied bags were a snap to make. The girls even made the bags for Tim's gifts. I controlled the pedal, but they chose the material, helped thread the machine and took care of the rest. They were surprised at how easy and quick it was to sew a whole bag!
Not only did the bags turn out cute, but I can use them again next Christmas, and the next, and the...you get the idea. I made the family gift bags this year, too, so they could be used for other things like holding yarn, or groceries, or other gifts. You can see them here. Oh sure, I used some wrapping paper as well this year, but only because I already had it. I usually buy new paper every year the day after Christmas, but not this year. I did look at it, and some of it was very pretty, but I think I'll go with more sewn bags. Besides, it gives me yet one more 
Oh, there are still times when my seam ripper gets more use than my sewing machine, but the end result, the gift, wonderful. I'm having a difficult time keeping all of my sewing stuff (fabric, thread, measuring tapes, ribbon, bobbins, ...) in one area though. Well, technically speaking it is all in one area...the dining room. 
It's all spread hither and yon on the table and on my desk as I work through a few projects. Putting it all away each time I have to stop sewing to function as a wife and mom is crazy, but it must be done lest the cat eat an entire bobbin full of thread and gag and hurl for days on end. Yes, that has happened, and yes, it's disgusting.
Oh yeah, which leads to the ironing board being set up in the kitchen to press seams and the like. I must add here the plus side to all of this mess... having fabric out, measuring devices on the table, thread and pins close by but out of reach of the cat, has perhaps inspired my little ones. Oh joy! Can it be? They are eager to sew? Well, here, take a look. Not only did they build a makeshift dress form from tinker toys, but they assemble an entire outfit out of fabric and accessories.
A dress form! Visionaries, those girls of mine. I've always wanted a dress form but with limited room and limited skills I've never given it a second thought, but they knew that creating clothes is easier with a headless and armless mannequin. No, they didn't call it a dress form, but clearly that's what they meant. I've got a few little, quick and easy, instant gratification projects on the sewing list for them to create. It's just fuel for the fire, baby, fuel for the fire. Oh, and did I mention my crochet bag is full of yarn and small projects? In spite of the sewing and crocheting frenzy and the fear that my head may explode if the clutter is not reduced, I do still feel pretty calm. Here's the thing though, not only do I need to make room for the coming Christmas present overload, but I also need to make room to breathe. Sewing is pretty relaxing for me...it's the clutter that messes me up. Okay, inhale through the nose, out through the mouth. I can do this. Maybe I just need another cup of coffee to give me that boost of clutter-clearing-energy that I need. Happy Wednesday xoANG
As soon as school work was complete I suited up the girls and we headed out the door with Dad. He had the day off because of the snow...what a treat it was to have him home all day. The snow was fluffy and light. Perfect for skiing and shoveling and snow angeling(that's a word..right?)...not so great for snowman building or snowball making. It was still beautiful and cold and fun. Despite snow up the sleeves and down the boots the girls had a great time. They warmed up quickly with a cup of hot chocolate.
And because there is no such thing as too much snow, the girls worked on making paper snowflakes before dinner. There were little bits of paper everywhere, but we have some beautiful snowflakes as a result.
So hat one is almost complete...it only needs the ear flaps (which are in progress). Hat two is about 1/2 complete and larger than the first to accommodate an almost 8 year old sized head. Almost eight. Yikes! How did that happen?
Also, lots and lots of playing fetch with the cat. He's got a new favorite mouse toy...a squishy little fake mouse from our halloween candy bowl. I had to snip the tail off because he kept trying to eat it. 
But chase and fetch that mouse he does many times each day. He'll chase and fetch until he collapses from exhaustion. It's quite entertaining.
We've been a huge fan of elder berry syrup (sambucus) for over a year now. It's great for boosting the immune system and for fighting colds and flu. Read about it's benefits here. We've been buying it, but making my own is so much cheaper, and the recipe I followed made an entire pint.
There's a great video and recipe to follow here.
one artistic girl + the family pet for inspiration + a few art supplies = a super idea for training cats
( poster reads:: Cat School...learn to be good and more! Do's and Dont's- Do: sit sill - Don't: lick your toes in class - Do: listen to the teacher - Don't: bite other cats)
one free pattern + yummy cotton yarn + three tassels = my new third-time's-a-charm hat
