Very merry indeed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our holiday was filled with so much love and laughter this year.  There is no doubt why this is my very most favorite time of year.  Gathering together with friends and family for celebrations and snuggling in together with loved ones for quiet moments in front of the fire.  Our Christmas was certainly very merry this year. 

Babies

It's no secret that I've been sewing babies lately, lots and lots of them in fact. I have to say that this has turned into one of my absolute favorite sewing sprees. I adore the fun patterns at Bit of Whimsy Dolls and have tried out a few new ones this past week too (those pictures will come a bit later). These sweet little dolls are so much fun to make and the response to them has been overwhelming. I simply can not express how heartwarming the love has been. Someone pointed out to me that so many littles will be snuggling with one of my handmades come Christmas morning. How incredible is that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's really hard to believe that I actually made that many. They were so much fun that I just couldn't wait to start on the next. Tonight I am finishing my last two, one for each of my littles and then maybe I'll be ready to start on something new. Maybe.

December days

It certainly seems as though not much has been happening around our place if you are looking in this space but that couldn't be further from the truth.  The days have simply sped by, the steady hum of my sewing machine the background rhythm to all that has occurred. 

I try my best to keep the days slow and simple for our family during this time of year.  It's so very easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle that is often December.  It is quite easy for me especially.  I often fall into the trap of adding just one more project to my to-do list until I find myself up until the wee hours of the morning working and then find myself exhausted the next day.  I've tried very hard to avoid that trap this year.  And I will admit that I wasn't fully successful but I can also say that I haven't let the list get too overwhelming.  Often times I find myself sneaking back to my machine during a quiet moment to try and fit in just a bit more work but nearly as often I find myself with lots of help.  Our table full of coloring pages, sewing pins, new ideas, and lots of little hands working away on that next great idea.  That is the kind of work I can not get enough of. 

Most of our work is super secret and can't be shared but we have been making a few things for ourselves like cookies and special ornaments for our tree.  These girls do love to paint.

The words I had intended to write here today seem so unimportant this morning as I woke with my heart still heavy after yesterday's tragedy in Connecticut.  And yet at the same time I can not help but focus on those that gave everything to protect the angels in their care.  Those are the names we should be remembering, the lives we should be celebrating...

There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. ~Washington Irving

Today we will honor them in the best way we know how.  By turning away from the bad, focusing on the good people who gave so much, and praying.  May we all continue to band together and from this tragedy may we all find strength, love, and understanding as we move forward.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

 

 

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Saint Nicholas and Simplicity

I really struggled with the holiday this year, in fact the entire holiday season has been this way for me.  I had such great plans and yet nothing seems to be getting accomplished.  At least not in the way I had imagined.  Our advent calendar and mama made stockings will be put off for yet another year, and I think I'm finally okay with that.  Today may have just been the turning point I needed. 

Thanks to the facebook status of a friend at 11pm last night I was reminded that today was Saint Nicholas' Day.  I felt an instant rush of panic as I realized that I had nothing prepared and didn't even read the girls our favorite Saint Nicholas book at bedtime.  I sat here lamenting over the fact that we didn't have the wooden shoes I had hoped for, not even the mama made slippers I had promised myself I would make.  In fact, the only available shoes were the shiny silver dress shoes I had purchased earlier that afternoon.  Certainly not the picture I had in my mind and I will admit to going to bed last night with a bit of a heavy heart. 

All that changed this morning as we woke to find this under our tree.

 

 

The girls were overjoyed with their beautiful and completely unexpected surprise.  And this mama was reminded of the beauty that simplicity can bring to a holiday like this.  We spent the day watching a favorite Saint Nicholas movie, reading our favorite books about giving and planning ways we could help others in the coming weeks.  It certainly wasn't the day I had originally imagined but I think, perhaps, that is what made it all that sweeter. 

 

 

December?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas?  Well inside that might be the case as we've been pulling out decorations and getting into the holiday spirit over this past week.

 

 

 

 

 

Outside is an entirely different story however.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been lucky to have very warm weather this past week and have taken full advantage. The mama in me has loved the extra time to be outside this year before the hibernation of winter starts. It has been especially nice since this was the week daddy took his vacation so we were able to enjoy it together. Lots of time spent outside ending our week with marshmallows roasted over an open fire. Not a bad way to start the month of December at all.

Welcome back

It certainly feels like Winter out there already doesn't it?  Especially while we were all freezing our fingers off at the annual Christmas parade in town.  Our little ballerina was all bundled up and I think her excitement over riding on a parade float for the first time helped keep her warm. 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of us were freezing while we waited to see her ride by though. Thankfully we had an extra special surprise waiting for us when we got back home.

 

 

 

 

Our Elf on the Shelf is back!  Remember when Jingle made his first appearance last year?  The girls were so excited to see him back again.  Seems he caught a ride with Santa when he came into town for the parade and brought us a yummy snack for after the parade.  How sweet of him. 

 

 

 

 

 

I can't wait to see what surprises Jingle has in mind for our family this year.  Do you have an Elf that comes to your home?  I've been searching Pinterest and there are some really cute ideas out there.  This should be a lot of fun. 

Thankfulness

We have so very much to be thankful for this year.  We certainly are very blessed, especially to have such a wonderful little family to celebrate with. 

 

 

When sickness hit our little family right before this holiday I will admit to really letting it get the better of me for a moment.  Thankfully I have some really great friends that were there to help me snap out of it and realize how lucky we really were.  As sick as they may have been it was nothing life threatening, and for that I am incredibly thankful.  Yes, we had to miss the much anticipated Thanksgiving meal with family but really in the grand scheme of things it was a small inconvenience at best.  With a late night run to the grocery store I was still able to provide a lovely little meal for my family.  Another terrific reason to be thankful. 

 

 

 

 

 

It was declared the "yummiest most wonderful Thanksgiving ever" and for that I am thankful.  There were handprint turkeys to make, tasty food to be eaten, and naps to be taken.  There are so many big reasons to be thankful this year but I will say that focusing on these little every day moments has made this one of my favorite years to date. 

 

 

 

Discoveries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to a picture posted on facebook one day by Little Acorn Learning we found a great new addition to our book colleciton and a companion for our Autumn explorations.  We were always stumbling across some great discovery that we had no clue about and now we have this handy resource to find our answers. 

I love that the book has full color picutres and gives a bit of information about each listing such as where is might be found and whether or not it is edible.  We aren't going to be testing out that last bit of information however, I'm not quite brave enough for that one.  Though we did have our first experience with Morels this year. 

It has certainly been a season full of adventure and new experiences.  Now we're coming to the end of our Autumn adventures as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Winter.  The weather is already bringing more of a chill to our mornings and the warm days are certainly few but we will not let this stop us from embracing these last days that Autumn has to offer.  There is still plenty to do before Winter takes its hold.

New friends

The girls and I had our first day at our new homeschool play group yesterday.  They were a bit nervous on the drive over but quickly found everyone to be very sweet and welcoming.  We were so happy to find a Waldorf inspired community to become part of since we aren't able to attend a traditional Waldorf school. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kinsley jumped right in and quickly joined the crew without a second look.  Meanwhile Kaitlyn played the part of casual observer and watched the majority of the day from a great distance.  She did come into the circle for snack time though she planted herself firmly on my lap for that activity and the remainder of the afternoon.  A little bit of role reversal for my girls, and a bit of a surprise for mama.  Though the wonderful thing about this type of environment is that they were both free to find ways to enjoy and make the most of the experience.  They are already looking forward to next time. 

Babies and Llamas

Boy has my sewing machine been given a workout these past couple weeks.  By far my favorite project was this Mama Llama and her babies.  I used this pattern from Bit of Whimsy Dolls.  I have several of her patterns and they always turn out amazing and are so much fun to make.  These Llamas were no exception. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't you just love her holding her baby?  I backed this baby with a light pink minky dot fabric which makes it super soft and cuddly (though a bit more of a pain to work with).  But of course one adorable baby llama just isn't quite enough. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seriously can't stand all that cuteness in one little basket!  I decided to leave the arms off the babies in the interest of pure laziness but I still think they turned out great.  It's hard to pick a favorite but the blue fabric with the trees is probably the winner.  I just love fun little projects like this that work up quickly and turn out amazing.  So much fun.

 

 

But without a doubt the single best thing about this project has to be this...

 

 

 

 

Quite possibly the very first project I've made that this little one has cared about even the slightest.  From the very beginning she was interested.  Even while they were still just an odd shaped piece of fabric without even a face, she would come up and pick up this piece and tell me she loved it.  Every so often she'd come back to check on my progress and tell me "I yub them bunnies" and then she'd be off again.  Finally they were finished, all in a basket together and I couldn't believe the squeal of delight that came out of this little girl.  She immediately found her baby and it was pure love. 

This picture really says it all. She hasn't let go of her baby for more than a minute or two in the past two days.  Holding it up to her face and grinning so big it looked like her cheeks would burst.  Cuddling it, patting it like a baby and taking it to bed with her.  It makes a crafty mama's heart sing to see her little ones love a mama-made so very much.  Especially a little one that up until this point has turned her nose up at everything else made for her. 

"I yub this baby, mama.  Him my baby bunny and hims beautiful."   What more could a mama want?